Medieval tile kiln, north-east of Brookend (EHER 1235)

Tile kilns, thought to be medieval. Located south of Church End. One kiln excavated in 1950.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Tile Kiln (NR) (site of). <1> 1950. Excavation Medieval tile kiln discovered in 1950 in field at Stebbing. OS field officer visited site after excavation. His plan and section of the kiln are on the OS cards. Concentrations of tile in field at TL 66452323 and TL 66452324 may indicate further kiln sites. The excavated kiln had a box-like hole sunk in the ground. A rectangular room of tile was built into it. This had 2 arched furnace openings at one end. A series of arches of one tile's thickness was built across the kiln, about a tile or less apart, with arches opposite the furnace openings. On top they were finished flat-there was no more floor than that. The side wall continued up to form the oven. Tiles for firing were laid in piles across slots in the floor and fires lit in the arches below. There doesn't seem to have been a north end to the kiln. The most northerly part finishes with an ordinary interior arch with no outside wall. The pier between the arches has a distance piece as if another arch was expected to join. Only roofing tiles were found in the excavation but near the kiln 2 pieces of decorated encaustic tile were found, maybe from another kiln in the field. Encaustic tiles were made at the Danbury kilns-similar in construction to the Stebbing kiln but more complete. Hull guessed date as 13th century. <2> - <4> In the spring of 1950 Mr Holland, a farmer, and his son dug out the arches, flue and hearth of a Medieval tile-kiln. The kiln was some 10 feet long in front of the hearth, the overall length including the hearth being 13 feet 3 ins and the width was seven feet. It consisted of two parallel rows each of eight transverse flat-topped flue arches. Apart from a few fragments found several feet from the kiln there was no trace of encaustic tile. From the stratification of the sand on which the kiln and hearth were built it is believed that it was used at two periods, initially to make encaustic floor tiles for a "now- vanished building" and subsequently turned to the production of plain roofing tiles. There are possibly two other kiln sites adjacent which it is proposed will be excavated. 1 floor tile should be at Colchester, not yet found. <5> - <8> February 1950. Field survey. Site surveyed immediately after excavation. The two other concentrations of tile are at TL 66452323 and TL 66452324. <9> 1986. Scheduling. Fresh tile still being ploughed up in the area of the two adjacent tile concentrations. <10> Medieval tile kilns south of Church End. Scheduled 195. <11> Two photos. <12> See: <13> <14>