Public given chance to see 18th century tobacco pipe factory discovered by archaeologists in Bath

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Archaeologists to welcome visitors to tobacco pipe factory first opened more than 200 years ago

Archaeologists are preparing to publically reveal a clay tobacco pipe factory in Bath where thousands of artefacts were found during the early stages of an excavation to create a £19 million casino and hotel complex.

Two human-size kilns were among the discoveries at Bridewell Lane, where the development will open to visitors on Halloween for insights into a lesser-known aspect of the city’s past.

“A clay tobacco pipe factory was built at 10 Bridewell Lane in 1782,” explains Simon Cox, the Head of Fieldwork for Cotswold Archaeology.

“It was run by Joseph Smith, who had several kilns working on the site, but probably not those revealed during the archaeological excavation in 2015.

“In 1810 the factory was acquired by another pipe maker, James Clarke. The factory was run by Joseph Sants from 1835 until it was eventually forced to close in 1851.

“It was demolished in around 1859 to make way for a playground for Blue Coat School.
 
“As work progresses we expect to reveal further remains associated with the medieval, and later Georgian, houses that once stood along Bridewell Lane.”

More than 4,000 pieces of clay tobacco pipe were found, including pieces bearing the maker names of Smith, Clarke and Sants.

• The Saw Close open day runs from 10am on October 31 2015. Visit Cotswold Archaeology for details.

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Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/archaeology/art540373-clay-tobacco-pipe-factory-bridewell-bath-cotswold