During our excavations at Cinder Hill Engine House we found evidence of iron working, in the form of waste tap slag. This was associated with a piece of charcoal, which when dated, was found to come from between 1027-1182 cal AD. However, we were unable to find the area where iron working was taking place. Now we seem to have found it on Cinder Hill Field! Our 2018 dig site has so far revealed an iron bloomery furnace, with lots of burnt stone, slag and some large sherds of medieval pottery. Perhaps the most surprising discovery of 2018 was the fact that dating evidence in the form of charcoal from the furnace dated to the late Saxon period! This potentially means that we have an incredibly rare site and as such will require much further investigation.
Excavations are ready to start once again in 2019 ( details of dates are to be found on the events page and also the home page ), hopefully uncovering more information into the fascinating history of this area.
The iron smelting bloomery furnace begins to appear in Trench 1
Excavating the bloomery furnace
A sherd of medieval pottery was found close to the furnace
Some large sherds of medieval pottery from Trench 2
A slag deposit from Trench 3