Ironbridge Archaeology: March 2006

Wednesbury Forge

Archaeological excavation at Wednesbury Forge has finally commenced today with the beginning of the site strip. The warehouse building was demolished in February, and the concrete yard surface has been in the process of removal for the last couple of weeks. This view was taken this morning on very windy, rain-swept day as the machine began to expose a collection of 19th century flues and walls.

Survey at Blists Hill

As part of planning future developments at Blists Hill Victorian Town, we have been surveying the site in some detail. This has also been a useful training exercise for our new recruits.

Tean Hall Mills

We have recently started work recording the transmission system in this interesting mill complex in Staffordshire. At the heart of the mill range is the seventeenth century Tean Hall, a timber-framed building with an eighteenth century brick and stone extension. The mill itself was established in the later eighteenth century, with substantial buildings being added in the 1820s.

The main steam-powered range of 1823.

Interior view of the 'fireproof' structure, very reminiscent of Dither-ington Flax Mill.

Detail of one of the columns and its connection with the cast-iron beam.

Line shafting in the top floor of the earlier (street frontage) range.

Although our main remit on this project is to record the power system, part of our work will also include understanding the phasing of the complex. There are also aspects of the site which sit well within our portfolio of contemporary archaeology.

Lloyds Coppice

This week we have been revisiting an earlier study in Lloyds Coppice which we did for the Severn Gorge Countryside Trust. In fact this is only the latest in a series of projects in this area, which have included various surveys and the excavation of the engine house. The Lloyds is an area of historic mining activity, and the SGCT are about to embark on a programme of amenity improvements.

This photo shows the line of an ancient plateway, along which the new footpath will run. A leaflet about Lloyds Coppice is downloadable from the SGCT website, which features information from previous Ironbridge Archaeology projects on the site.