| Title: |
Onslow Road, Mickleover, Derbyshire: Archaeological Evaluation |
| Series: |
Wessex Archaeology unpublished report series
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| Downloads: |
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wessexar1-411834_129774.pdf (2 MB)
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| Biblio Note |
This report was uploaded to the OASIS system by the named Publisher. The report has not been reviewed by the relevant HER. The report has been transferred into the ADS Library for public access and to facilitate future research.
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| Licence Type: |
ADS Terms of Use and Access
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| DOI |
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| Publication Type: |
Report (in Series)
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| Abstract: |
Wessex Archaeology undertook an archaeological strip, map and sample excavation of a 0.39 ha parcel of land and additional archaeological evaluation trenching on land at Onslow Road, Mickleover, Derbyshire DE3 9JH. Evaluation area One pit containing an Iron Age or Romano-British pot sherd was uncovered, and a prehistoric pot sherd of probable Iron Age date was found in the plough soil nearby. Several undated pits/postholes and a clay layer of probable archaeological origin were also noted, along with the remnants of east–west aligned cultivation furrows. The previously identified Romano-British feature was demonstrated to represent an irregular pit within a post-medieval furrow. It is therefore apparent that some further evidence of low-level archaeological activity is present in the area, although no evidence of linear features or concentrations of associated contemporary remains were evident. It is possible that the remains recorded during the evaluations relate to rural activity carried out in the periphery of the settlement responsible for the pottery spread previously recorded to the east of the site on the playing fields of Mickleover School (HER 18962). However, the abraded Iron Age/Roman-British pottery sherd from pit 204 may be residual, and the pit and undated archaeological features could relate to activity contemporary with the ridge and furrow rather than a continuation of any Romano-British activity. Bulk soil samples were taken from some of the excavated features, although no environmental evidence other than charcoal was found in them, and evidence of stratigraphic movement/contamination was noted. The samples are not diagnostic of any particular period, and are of limited interpretive value. Mitigation area Seven brick kilns were revealed, one (kiln 1) of ‘Scotch’ updraught type, and the others (kilns 2–7) of simple clamp type. The results correlate strongly with a geophysical survey (Pre-Construct Archaeological Services 2013). The clamp kilns were evidenced by clay surfaces, which, along with buried soils sealed beneath these surfaces, had been transformed by the heat of the action of the kilns. They exhibited redoximorphic stripes probably caused by the position of alternating rows of unfired bricks and flues built into the stacked unfired bricks. Kiln 7 had additional perpendicular stripes suggested it had also been used with a different configuration of stacked bricks, perhaps as part of a separate campaign of brickmaking. It has not been possible to definitively demonstrate a link between the brick kilns and the adjacent railway tunnel, however it does seem likely that the brickmaking operation was linked to the construction of the railway. There was little evidence of modification or maintenance and it is probable that the kilns were short-lived and used for a specific construction project. The date of the kilns has not been reliably established, however a mid-19th century date would accommodate both the presence of the Scotch kiln and the absence of the brickyard from all consulted historic maps, including the earliest detailed Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1880–1882). The Derbyshire and North Staffordshire extension of the Great Northern Railway opened in 1878, consistent with an association between the brickyard and the railway. It is possible that the brickmaking operation was moved from the present site to a nearby location between the former Mickleover railway station and the B5020 road, which was mapped from 1880–1882 until at least the 1950s. Although the Scotch kiln was more technologically sophisticated than the clamp kilns, it is likely that it operated at the same time as the clamp kilns, with the two types perhaps producing different grades of brick. |
| Author: |
P Whittaker
P Daniel
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| Publisher: |
Wessex Archaeology
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| Year of Publication: |
2021
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| Locations: |
| District: |
Derby |
| Parish: |
Derby, unparished area |
| County: |
Derby |
| Country: |
England |
| County: |
Derbyshire |
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Grid Reference: 431071, 335954 (Easting, Northing)
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| Subjects / Periods: |
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| Identifiers: |
| OASIS Id: |
wessexar1-411834 |
| OBIB: |
242870.03 |
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| Source: |
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| Relations: |
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| Created Date: |
18 Dec 2023 |
