Source/Archive record SDR22060 - An Archaeological Investigation of The Garden and Hen Coop Close at Standley's Barn Farm

A resistivity survey of Hen Coop Close and a series of test pits in the Hen Coop and in the Garden adjacent to the farmhouse were carried out by Ticknall Archaeological Research Group during 2012. The aim of the investigation was to identify the site of a pottery kiln thought to have existed at Standley's Barn Farm through previous documentary research. The test pits confirmed that it was indeed the site of a pottery, with vast amounts of pottery wasters and kiln furniture found. Some 72kg of assorted pottery was recovered, all of which appears to have been redeposited from original dumps for use as protection for land drains and other features and for filling and levelling of the land. A square meter of large cobbled stones with a small hearth in the Hen Coop remains a largely enigmatic feature in relation to its purpose. As a proven pottery production site, Standley's Barn Farm forms part of Ticknall's important post-medieval pottery industry.