Phoenix wasn’t rising after all!
Archaeologists make important discovery that bottle oven was ‘downdraught’ not ‘updraught’
ARCHAEOLOGISTS studying bottle ovens at a former pottery factory have found they used a rare type of technology.
The significant discovery was made by a team investigating the Grade Ii-listed Phoenix Works site off King Street in Longton.
The two bottle ovens there were previously believed to be updraught ovens.
But now it has emerged they are examples of the much more unusual downdraught variety.
Tunnels have also been unearthed that once connected the vents to an adjacent 90ft chimney.
Downdraught ovens first appeared in the Potteries in the second half of the 19th Century and offered a more efficient way of firing pottery.
Unlike their updraught counterparts, they recirculated heat within their firing chambers, ensuring that wares were exposed to heat for a longer period.
Until now, the only known surviving examples locally were the Three Sisters – a trio of bottle ovens in Burslem.
But as these relied on an integrated chimney, they are different to the ones at the Phoenix Works.
It means the latest discovery is a unique record of this type of technology in the city.
Councillor James Smith, heritage champion at Stoke-on-trent City Council, said: “These iconic structures are a symbol of the Potteries and have been a great source of inspiration to many artists and creative people over the years.
“It’s wonderful that, even in 2021, our archaeologists are still learning and discovering new things about them.”
The work has been carried out as part of Stoke-on-trent’s ceramic heritage action zone (HAZ), a five-year programme focusing on Longton town centre and the city’s last remaining bottle ovens.
The local authority is working with Historic England on the scheme.
A total of 50 bottle ovens spread across 29 sites remain in Stoke-on-trent, including muffle kilns and calcining kilns.
Surveys of all of them are ongoing. The aim is to provide a better understanding and a lasting record of these structures, as well to support their future conversation.
HAZ partners Staffordshire University, Liverpool John Moores University and Keele University are contributing with 360-degree photography and a laser survey at several of the sites, including Phoenix Works.
It comes as the owner of Phoenix Works has been successful in bidding for an Historic England repair grant, which will see the chimney repaired later this year.
The former potbank was built in 1881 by Thomas Forester and finally ceased production in 1959. It was then bought by the Milner family for a wholesale pottery business.
The 40,000 sq ft site contains a number of listed buildings and has now been reborn as a stunning heritage backdrop for local businesses. They include the popular Glost House café.