Worcestershire Archaeology have spent this week digging exploratory trenches in the position of the new Science Block as the site was considered as a potential site of Archaeological interest during the Planning process due to its position by the Riddings Brook and River Severn. The dig has uncovered items of archaeological interest consisting of dispersed features from the Iron Age. These features include postholes and a large pit that could possibly be a storage pit. The pit has produced a few artefacts (pottery, burnt bone and fire cracked stone), and also contains a significant quantity of charcoal. The pottery includes briquetage (a salt container originating from Droitwich). The dig will continue from the 7th July.
The briquetage vessels can be seen in the centre of the picture below. Wet salt crystals are scooped up from the boiling pans and drained in these coarse clay vessels. The whole lot - salt and vessel is then distributed/traded. The Droitwich briquetage is very widely distributed (an industry dating back 2-3000 years) throughout the west midlands, from Somerset to Cheshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and into Wales.
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| Reconstruction of Iron Age Salt Making by Carolyn Hunt |
