Bill Crumbleholme Pottery Web Pages

Bestwall Roman Kiln Rebuilding
 Last revised: 2nd August 2003.

Bill is a potter with an interest in Black Burnished Ware Pottery - Dorset, where Bill lives, was the centre of production of this type of "Celtic" pottery. This page shows images of the project Bill ran at Bestwall, near Wareham.

The archeological dig at Bestwall Farm, between Wareham and Poole Harbour, revealed over 30 Romano-British BB1 kilns. Follow this link to see more details www.bestwall.co.uk
The kilns will be distroyed when gravel extraction starts later in 2003.
In July Bill rebuilt two of the kilns and fired them, with pots made from clay found in Purbeck. This was featured as part of National Archeological week on 19th & 20th July.
The images below were taken during the project.

 

 


This is one of the Bestwall Kilns in September 2002, before being fully excavated.

Were these pots the final firing abandoned, or just rubbish from elsewhere, or a ritual deposition at the closing of the kiln?

The Kiln 2nd July 2003, after a winter and spring. Ripe for reconstruction!

A view through the firebox into the kiln, showing dried pots stacked ready to fire.

The full kiln load of 80 pots, with the lid off.

The thick walled kiln being slowly heated.

By the evening the fire was roaring. The temperature reached at least 800 degrees.

Notice the kiln godess guarding the fire box.
 
 

Starting to unload the kiln


One of Bill's BB reproductions - not so black as it should be.

A collection of the pots
Go to Bill's Bronze Age Beaker Pottery Web page

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