Roman tiles

Site: Handford Road, Ipswich, Suffolk
Period: Roman
Excavator: Stuart Boulter, Suffolk C.C. Archaeological Service
Published: Forthcoming in East Anglian Archaeology

Catalogue entry: These are two fragments of Roman flanged tegulae, large rectangular tiles with an L-shaped flange on each long side. They were used to roof important buildings, often constructed using mortared stone or flint with tile courses. The gaps between the tegulae were covered with curved tiles, semi-circular in section, called imbrices. There is no evidence for such a high status building on this site however, and the tiles were probably brought here as hardcore. Many fragments were found in a disused well and were probably deliberately used to stabilise the feature when it was no longer required.

Handford Road was later the site of an Early Saxon settlement. Roman tiles were often scavenged from decaying buildings by the Saxons, who used them to line hearths and ovens. Over a quarter of the tile assemblage from Handford Road showed signs of burning.

Medieval floor tile

Site: St Margaret's Church, Ipswich, Suffolk
Period: Medieval
Excavator: Linzi Everett, Suffolk C.C. Archaeological Service
Published: In-house report.

Catalogue entry: Thirty fragments of floor tile were identified in the St Margaret's Church CBM assemblage, including medieval relief-decorated, late medieval Flemish types, and a post-medieval quarry tile. Most fragments were heavily worn and difficult to identify to type as the fabrics were quite variable. At least one Flemish green-glazed and one yellow-glazed with white slip were present. Only two relief tiles were unworn, and both showed a shield containing three lions passant guardant, one yellow-glazed (left) and one brown-glazed. This type is fairly common in Suffolk and is likely to be of 13th/14th century date. These finds may indicate that part of the original church floor contained relief tiles, replaced in the 14th/15th centuries by a chequerboard Flemish tile floor.

Fired clay

Site: Weybread, Suffolk
Period: Late medieval
Excavator: Suffolk C.C. Archaeological Service

Published: In-house report.
Catalogue entry: This site consisted of a pit which contained a large group of pottery wasters. The village is a known production centre of late medieval and transitional wares. Twenty-eight fragments of buff/pink fired clay with abundant straw impressions and chalk tempering, which may have been part of a kiln or oven dome.

Clay pipes

Site: Friars Street, Sudbury, Suffolk
Period: Post-medieval
Excavator: Suffolk C.C. Archaeological Service
Published: In-house report.

Catalogue entry: Fragments of clay pipes and slag from a clay pipe kiln were found during fieldwork at Friars Street, Sudbury. They show that clay pipes were being manufactured in the town in the late 18th/early 19th centuries.