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View Full Version : I hate clay (or med? site in the Midlands)



srd123
8th August 2009, 06:07 PM
Last week I was in blazing sunshine, on chalk, in a virginal causewayed enclosure.

This week I gave it up for this......



Why, oh why do I do these things.....

Anyhoo, what we seem to have is a circular structure, approx 6m diameter (outside to outside), with a 1m thick clay bonded limestone wall. In the centre there is a pit that goes down a foot or so beneath the old ground surface that the wall sits on, the slope appearing to start around a foot inside the wall.
At opposing positions on the inside of the wall are two protrusions that come in with one curved edge and one straightish edge. To the east (left of photo) is an external limestone surface (or poss two), one of which appears to overly the wall. Also a number of post pads, one of which was placed in the tumbled wall. To the north of the building a metre or so away, is an "industrial" area: burning, hearths and loads of medieval pottery. But virtually no pottery whatsoever in and around the circular building. Around the whole shooting match is an apparently medieval circular enclosure ditch, up to 2m deep.





What is it?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Various suggestions: dove cote (no other 'status' buildings near by), wind mill (at bottom of hill and probably not substantial enough), animal pound (but why the pit in the depression in the middle?), Roman temple (GTFOOH), viewing platform for chase (again, down a hill)......

Sira1973
2nd March 2010, 05:07 PM
What you said might be a pottery kiln as you have mentioned industrial" area: burning, hearths and loads of medieval pottery this might be it. My evidence is the kilns themselves often round well away from housing and based in the countryside so nothing can catch fire and such types of kilns tended to give out a lot of smoke. You also mentioned about clay this may be a both harder to prove but could the potter himself have been using the surrounding countryside for his clay before firing in his Kiln. Also if you want to look at one as I nearly now 99% sure that what you have discovered is one is a place called Dunster pottery kiln this will show you a round building and no doubt you might be able to get some ground plan to match up with what you have found. Even better I have found one for you http://www.dawsonheritage.co.uk/td/drawings.html

Let me know how you get on and if you think that I am correct or have been of Help Yours Simon