Huntingdon Street, Nottingham

The evaluation confirmed that much of the site had been truncated by 20th century development. However, an island of preservation was identified in the northern corner of the site where a Medieval pottery kiln was recognised. Following consultation with the city archaeologist the decision was taken was taken to open up this area to fully excavate the kiln.

This kiln is one of the very few that has been excavated in Nottingham in recent years. The city is known to have been home to a large and important pottery industry for much of the Medieval period.

This kiln and the pottery produced in it does not quite fit into the current typological framework for Nottingham Splashed Ware pottery. The radiocarbon dates suggest it belongs at the very beginning of the life of the industry around c AD1100, and considerably earlier than these vessel forms were understood to be in production.

The implications for the dating of other archaeological sites in Nottingham is profound as it is often based on the pottery typology. Thus it can be seen that the results of commercial projects such as this can have implications for the dating and interpretation of sites in the wider area.