A Medieval Tilery and occupation at 40-68 Silver Street, Reading, Berkshire (Paperback)

This volume describes the results of an open area excavation undertaken in two stages on the western side of Silver Street which revealed several phases of activity. The first occupation of the site consisted of a Medieval tilery comprising two tile kilns and a well, dated between the 12th and 14th centuries AD, with the last firing of one of the kilns returning an archaeomagnetic date between AD1268-1328. That the tilery was supplying tiles to the Abbey, is demonstrated by designs on wasters from the kilns here matching designs on tiles recorded in-situ in the floor of the Abbey cloister in excavations of the 1960s. Discovery of these medieval deposits at this location along Silver Street has added modestly to the known extent of the medieval town. The abandonment of the tilery was followed by a phase of intensive occupation with pit digging and evidence of a cellared building fronting Silver Street, dated between the 14th and 16th centuries. Evidence of post-medieval occupation was more scattered with a domestic oven dated between the 16th and 17th centuries and a spread of pits suggesting a continuation of the domestic occupation of the previous phase. This is the second discovery of medieval tile kilns in this part of Reading with a previous finding just 150m to the northeast last fired between AD1365-1400. Together, these findings might be indicative of the presence of an industrial suburb of the town, and which could be reflected in 16th century placename evidence, of 'Tylertoft' and 'Tyle Crosse'. Expected traces of the 17th Century Civil War defensive work were not located and it is suggested that as the site lay on the edge of the contemporary town, the defences passed just to the south so as to include the site.