Durham Archaeological Journal (19)

A three-day archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Channel 4's Time Team on the site of Binchester Roman fort, County Durham, in 2007. Geophysical survey provided information on the layout of the vicus. Earlier fort ditches were also mapped, along with the course of Dere Street to the west of the fort, a further road heading north-east from the fort, and a series of mausolea. Three trenches were excavated: one within the Scheduled Monument to examine the vicus and antiquarian excavations; one to examine large rectilinear features identified by geophysical survey and aerial photography, thought to represent the defences of an early timber fort; and one to examine the mausolea. The evaluation has shown that substantial and important stratified remains survive below ground, demonstrating their extent, character and condition.

This paper presents the results of archaeological investigations conducted in advance of redevelopment at two locations on the west side of Newcastle Road, Chester-le-Street, both of which revealed a partial section across the Roman road heading north from the town. At the former Highfield Hospital in 2004 the Roman road overlay a ditch and cut a cobble spread interpreted as the remains of a cairn; these and other features in the area were interpreted as Bronze Age. At 15 Newcastle Road in 2006, a coin and pottery dated construction of the road to the Hadrianic era. Evidence for a series of roadside enclosures to the east was also recorded.

Table 1: Post-medieval pottery data. Table 2: Summary of lithic material by colour. Table 3: Summary of flint type. Table 4: Analysis of flakes and flake tools. Table 5: Environmental sample dataflak. LD

A programme of archaeological fieldwork was undertaken at the church of St Michael and All Angels, Houghton-le-Spring, in advance of the installation of an underfloor heating system, which principally involved the excavation of the floors in the nave, crossing and north transept. In addition, parts of the nave wall were recorded when the plaster was stripped to reveal cracked masonry, and a basement space beneath the organ was examined. This article includes a summary of the context of the site before describing the results of the fieldwork and discussing the structural phasing of the church. The findings suggest that the history of the church may be considerably older and more complex than hitherto believed, since it now appears likely that Roman building stones were used in the construction of the medieval church, and features of pre-Norman and Norman provenance were also evidenced.

This report presents the results of an investigation conducted in 2004 by Archaeological Services Durham University in advance of development at the site of the late 19th century Linthorpe Art Pottery, Middlesbrough. The Linthorpe Pottery was made world famous by the contribution of the designer Dr Christopher Dresser. It was innovative in its application of new technology to pottery manufacture, most notably with glazes, and was the first pottery in the country to use the recently developed gas-fired kilns. The pottery was established in 1879 on the former site of a brick works. Its subsequent history is outlined in this report before the results of the investigation are described; the excavation revealed remains relating to the earlier brick works as well as the pottery itself. Artefacts recovered during the work are then discussed. These included items such as tiles and kiln furniture as well as pottery from Linthorpe and from elsewhere. LD