NHER 64685 (Monument record) - Probable post-medieval brick kiln

July 2013. Field Observation.
Record made of brick structure exposed in service trench excavated along western lane of University Drive.
Three sides of this square or rectangular structure were exposed, which had clearly been truncated when the original ground surface was reduced during the construction of the road. Its reasonably thick walls were between two and three bricks thick and blackened internally, suggesting it had functioned as some form of kiln. Similar structures found elsewhere have been interpreted as the remains of brick kilns, representing the chamber that would have lain beneath the kiln floor and main firing chamber.
Two of the bricks recovered from the stucture were of 16th-/17th-century date but a third dated to the 18th-century. It is therefore likely that this kiln was constructed in the 18th century, making some use of reused bricks (perhaps salvaged during work at Earlham Hall).
A nearby pit was of probable modern date.
These remains were recorded by an archaeological contractor shortly before they undertook a watching brief at the site immediately to the west (NHER 64685).
The surviving remains of the kiln were left in situ.
Information from draft report. Final version awaited.
P. Watkins (HES), 21 March 2021.