Sunderland’s historic stones are gone but never forgotten
ARCHEOLOGICAL DIG IS COMING TO A CLOSE BUT THERE’S ONE LAST CHANCE FOR PEOPLE TO PLAY A PART
A project to unearth the secrets of Sunderland’s industrial heritage is drawing to a close.
But there is one final opportunity for volunteers to get involved in a campaign which has helped to discover more about the city’s past. The Forgotten Stones project, which began last year, is finding out more about the times when a kiln, spoil heap, clay pit, jetty and pottery were all to be found on the riverbank.
Historians and archeologists have painstakingly excavated sites at North Hylton.
So far, they have found pottery shards, evidence of a jetty, and pieces of heavy earthenware pots.
But hopefully, there’s more to come and that’s where people can play their part – and maybe help to find out more about a pottery which produced wares which still remain some of the most collectable in the world today.
The Forgotten Stones dig continues from Tuesday, July 24 , to Monday, July 30, but this will not include Sunday, July 29.
If you are interested in volunteering, you should meet at 9am to 9.30am in the car park at Woodhouse Farm, on Ferryboat Lane in North Hylton. There will be opportunities to excavate trenches as well as help with washing anything found in the digs. Local historian Beverley Taylor said this was the final phase of the Heritage Lottery-funded project. She added: “We are looking to discover the history of Maling pottery in Sunderland at two sites at North Hylton – one believed to be where a kiln and spoil heap were located and the other where a clay pit and jetty were believed to be.” She said William Maling founded North Hylton Pot Works in 1762. “The riverside position was ideal as it was known to have a good supply of natural brown clay and Maling’s other business interests in timber, shipping and coal made a pottery business the ideal choice. “His kilns could be fired using his own coal, and his ships which brought Scandinavian timber into Sunderland could be used to export his finished pottery to the south of England and beyond.” The Maling works was one of the earliest and most successful potteries in the country. In fact, it is so highly renowned, that pieces of it remain highly collectable to this day, said Beverley.
She explained more about the early days of the industry.
In the early 1840s, there were 45 potters in North Hylton but numbers dwindled when the industry moved away from Sunderland. Beverley, who is a member of the Sunderland Antiquarian Society, said: “Looking into the history of the pottery and the land on which it was located has uncovered some very interesting facts,” She said an old clay pit and old kiln existed on land belonging to Woodhouse Farm, which is close to the river. There was also “evidence that a jetty may have been built close by where the clay could have been transported round to the site of the main pottery building. “A spoil heap has been located on another part of the Woodhouse Farm estate where many Victorian pottery shards have been found during recent excavations, including pieces of saggars (heavy earthenware pots used to protect finished ware during the firing process).” There was evidence of clinker (molten ash produced from coal) and also kiln furniture which was used to separate the ware whilst in the saggar. “Some exciting pieces have been unearthed during the previous phase of the project,” said Beverley. Excellent examples of pottery shards were found as well as an area within a trench where fine white clay – probably imported from the south of England or abroad – was stored or discarded. “This would have been used to create finer pieces of pottery,” Beverley added. And now comes the final part of Sunderland’s Forgotten Stones. Beverley said this was the “final opportunity” for members of the public to get involved as a volunteer and have a chance to work with professional archaeologists. She said it was also ideal for youngsters who would like the chance to turn their hand to digging, scraping and washing if they wanted something to do in the school holidays. Those interested in taking part should contact Norman Kirtlan on 07473 373339.