Figure 56: Kiln at High Street, Brentford.

Excavated in 1977 by Alison Laws for the Museum of London. A full account of the excavation was published in 1981 which includes a number of plans, sections and photographs (Laws & Oswald 1981, 20-22 & 61-62). The plans are published at the scale of 1:29. In this authors possession are 7 colour transparencies of the kiln during excavation. The site archive is believed to be with the Museum of London but at the time of writing has not been traced. The figure has been enlarged from the published drawing and redrawn with the required conventions. Associated finds included a quantity of pipe reinforced muffle material. The brick floored pit to the right of the stoke pit contained traces of coal. An aperture through the dividing wall provided shovel access to this fuel store. The nine inch wall surrounding the kiln and stoke pit suggests a completely roofed structure whilst the four inch wall of the fuel cellar testifies to a lesser ancillary feature (Figure 57) and (Figure 87).

The documentary evidence, discussed in full in the excavation report, places the Heath family in Brentford from 1723. The first record of William Heath, pipemaker, in relation to the site of this pipe kiln is an indenture of lease and release dated 2/3 February 1735. William Heath died 22 January 1764. (ibid, 15-19)

The typological evidence is discussed in full by Oswald in the excavation report (ibid, 30-31). In summary, pipes from beneath the kiln structure are consistent with manufacture in the period 1710-40 and pipes from layer 2 above the brick floor which sealed the kiln not earlier than c. 1760.