Young Archaeologist of the Year

Something brews in Roman Melbourne

Site Director and Archaeological Assistant GEORGIA DAY of ULAS describes a newlydiscovered Romano-British site at Melbourne

In 2021, University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) undertook an archaeological trial trench evaluation and subsequent strip, map and sample excavation on land between King’s Newton and Melbourne, in advance of residential development. This was thanks to South Derbyshire District Council’s archaeological advisors.

The initial trenching was undertaken in January and revealed previously unknown buried archaeological remains dating to the late Roman period. Further investigation uncovered the remains of a small-scale rural industrial complex, notably including a large, stone-built malting oven and six small industrial features including a possible stonelined lead working furnace.

Across the base of the malting oven, a layer was identified which comprised a compact, charcoal-rich silt with lenses of redeposited natural clay containing germinated glume wheat bases and detached embryos. The sprouted embryos still attached to the grain could be approximately measured and were all shown to be of the same length, indicating the germination of these cereal grains was a controlled and deliberate act, indicating a function associated with the malting process, in this instance, for the brewing of wheat beer. This feature appeared to have either collapsed or been deliberately demolished during antiquity and pottery dating to the Anglo-Saxon period was found in its upper layers, perhaps indicating a date for its destruction.

Unfortunately, the small furnace did not contain any evidence of its use. However across the development site high temperature residues, fuel ash and small quantities of lead were recovered which are characteristic of waste produced during smelting and are indicative of lead working in the area.

The extraction and processing of lead ore is known at sites throughout Roman Britain and the Peak District was one of the major sources of lead ore. However, due to the amount of lead already in circulation it is likely that lead working in this period focussed on re-use of existing lead rather than processing newly-extracted ore.

The remains of two possible late Roman sunken featured buildings were also identified, possibly used as workshops associated with the industrial activity. Structures of this type dating to the Roman period are not well understood yet, and so their recording at this site will help to inform future archaeological works throughout Britain.

A large assemblage of late Romano-British pottery was recovered and comprised a range of locally made wares alongside imported types such as Samian. A ceramic games counter was recovered, as were fragments of blown window glass, box flue tiles and a handle belonging to a small glass jug.

The archaeological remains were observed to extend beyond the eastern, western and southern limits of excavation and represent the first evidence of structural Roman archaeology found in the village.

The work undertaken during this project has shown that, during the late Roman period, people were living and working in Melbourne, malting grain to make beer, processing crops and smelting lead. It has also identified the remains of three possible late Roman sunken featured buildings, a building tradition that we are still in the early stages of understanding for this period. The finds from the site show that people used both locally made and imported pottery as part of their daily lives, and the presence of window glass, wall and roof tiles, and box flue tiles associated with a hypocaust are all indicative of a high status residential area nearby, possibly even a villa.

Diamonds and seaweed in Haddon Chapel

GENEVIEVE GORHAM of Nick Cox Architects describes recent restoration work to the east window of Haddon Hall chapel

Extensive restoration work was recently completed to the east window of the Chapel at Haddon Hall, including glass conservation and stonework repairs. The work was funded by grants from the Historic Houses Foundation and Historic England Cultural Recovery Fund.

The work involved the careful removal, repair and conservation, and reinstatement of the historic glazing, and associated repair of the historic masonry tracery and surrounding stonework within the Chapel’s east window.

The approach to the repair and conservation work was to carry out as little as possible but as much as necessary to secure the longevity of the east window, its historic stonework and glazing. Given the importance of the east window, both as a fine example of medieval stained glass and to the Manners family, the scope considered some enhancement of the window.

The Chapel dates from the 13th-century, with later 14th- and 15th-century alterations. Internally, the Chapel has fine “grisailles” wall paintings in the nave. The Chapel, like the rest of Haddon Hall, is constructed of a mixture of limestone and gritstone and was subject to restoration in the 20th century.

The window itself is of five lights in the Perpendicular Gothic order, with gritstone stone mullions and tracery. The surviving stained glass in the window is thought to be 15thcentury and is attributed to stained glazing works by John Thornton of Coventry (c.1427-30).

Much of this glass was destroyed or stolen during the 19th century, and the majority of the surviving stained glass was returned to the window in 1858. At this time the stained glass was not returned to its original location but reformatted and inserted alongside large panels of plain diamond “quarries” (the architectural term for diamond-shaped panes of glass), to fill in missing areas. As part of the work, fragments of the 15thcentury stained glass The fully restored chapel window were found to exist in the hall’s estate store. These have been reviewed, catalogued and taken for further analysis and conservation by the stained glass specialist as part of the project. Conservation cleaning was carried out to all the glazing removed from the window.

Archival research and review of appropriate levels of conservation was carried out through reference materials and consultation with academics Tim Ayres and Heather Gilderdale Scott. Numerous reviews were undertaken with the contractors to identify the different ages of glass, graffiti, and brush marks to prioritise the important pieces to retain.

The design team reviewed a number of rearrangements to determine the most appropriate level of conservation. The restored window rearrangements included: • retention of the 19th-century glass in the outer lights • introduction of 45 new ‘seaweeds’ (seaweed is the term used to describe diamond panes with a decorative floral motif) • introduction of ground and mounds to the missing evangelists • introduction of painted lines where there was clear contextual information from adjacent pieces of glass.

One key move was slightly raising the figure of Christ so the head did not lie across the ferramenta (the structure of metal bars which support the glazing). This was particularly important as the cleaned glass revealed such a finely painted face.

The restoration should ensure that the east window can continue to be viewed and appreciated by the family and public for years to come. The chapel is now re-opened so the public can view the conservation work.

With thanks to the design team, contractors and the grant-giving bodies, Historic Houses Foundation and Historic England.