Dig find 'more significant' than first thought

A pottery kiln found beneath a primary school could be more historically significant than first thought, experts say.

The find, beneath Sutton Primary School, near Potton, Bedfordshire, was initially believed to be from the Tudor era but is now thought to pre-date Henry VIII's reign by more than 100 years.

Archaeologists said the kiln would once have supplied pottery to Sutton and nearby settlements.

Central Bedfordshire Council said the revised dating made the find even more significant, describing it as a "tangible link to the area's medieval past".

The kiln was uncovered in late 2024 during ground investigations ahead of the construction of a new multi-use sports pitch at the school, with exploratory work carried out by the council's archaeology service, Albion Archaeology.

Originally thought to be Tudor in origin, further analysis of the pottery and kiln structure suggest it dates from the late 14th to the early 15th Century, in the late medieval period.

During the excavation, more than 30,000 fragments of pottery and tiles were recovered.

Specialists believe only broken or discarded items remained when the kiln was abandoned, which explains why no intact vessels were found on site.

Councillor Tracey Wye said the updated findings gave Sutton an extraordinary connection to its history.

"What began as routine planning work, to provide Sutton Primary School with new sporting facilities, turned into a find of real national interest."

The discovery has also helped reshape understanding of Bedfordshire's historic pottery industry.

Albion Archaeology project manager David Ingham said: "We already knew that medieval pottery was made at Everton, but finding a large kiln producing similar pottery three miles away at Sutton suggests that this area of Central Bedfordshire played a much more significant part in the region's medieval pottery industry than we previously realised."

He said the kiln was probably used in the decades following the Black Death.

Local people are invited to an event at Sutton Village Hall on 12 May, where they can hear about the latest research, view pottery from the site and take home a small fragment as a memento.

Some of the finds will also feature in a six-month exhibition at The Higgins Bedford from 27 April, exploring medieval and Roman kiln sites across the county.

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