Essex Archaeological News
Summer 1973
(later called the Essex
Society for Archaeology and History)
Extracts from Newsletter No 43
M11 NEWS
News from Terry Betts, Field
Officer, M 11 Committee.
So far the only constructional
work in progress is Contract 3 which is the stretch from South Harlow to
Bishops Stortford. It seems unlikely that any new sections will be started
until about the end of the year.
As far as contract 3 is
concerned, the work is now well under way, major earth moving has been taking
place' during the last two months and we have all been kept very busy.
The bodies which have done the
bulk of the work are the Bishops Stortford Historical Society, the Stort Valley
Area Survey Group, and the West Essex Archaeological Group, all assisted by
keen local volunteers.
On the ten miles of road works
we now have some ten archaeological sites covering Iron Age A and C, Roman,
Saxon, Medieval and Post Medieval periods. None of the sites was known before
the line of the road was published.
The most important excavation
to date has been a post medieval kiln at Harlow Common. This has been the best
preserved of any Harlow kilns and is of an earlier date, being before the time
of Metropolitan slipware, say about 1600 (?)
The kiln was elliptical in
shape, about 3.00m by 2.60m internally. It was twin flued with opposite stoke
holes. Internal flue channels consisted of a perimeter flue and an axial flue.
Needless to say there are hundredweights
of pottery to process, and the whole operation should make a valuable addition
to the history of Harlow pottery industry.
Work continues on other sites
and it is planned to publish an interim report at the end of the year.
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