Site record MDR13750 - 16th to 18th Century Pottery near Japonica Cottage, Ashby Road, Ticknall

Japonica Cottage appears to have been built in the late 17th century, probably as an intake on the edge of the common. On the evidence of surrounding pottery production sites, it was thought likely that it represented the location of another pottery, one for which there is no documentary evidence. Six 1m square test pits were therefore excavated in 2011 in order to examine this hypothesis. The test pits produced evidence for pottery production, with a range of pottery types indicating a start date of somewhere between 1450 and 1540, probably continuing into the 18th century. Evidence for a kiln or kilns on the site was visible in the form of fired clay, coal, clinker and kiln furniture. The most productive test pits were sited furthest from the cottage, suggesting that the workshop and kilns were some distance from the house, as has been found at other sites. Diversion of the stream has confused the original site layout, however, and while it has been concluded that Japonica Cottage, like all its neighbours, was a pottery production site, the kiln and workshop positions were not located. (1)