Campbellfield Pottery Uncovered
Staff from AOC Archaeology Group have uncovered remains associated with the Campbellfield Pottery during fieldwork in Glasgow's East End. Evaluation trenches excavated at the site at David Street revealed what may be the base of one of the kilns. This work was undertaken as a condition of planning consent on the advice of the West of Scotland Archaeology Service.
The Campbellfield pottery was operated at this site by William Wilson (1827-1849), a partnership (1849-1856), William Wilson Jnr. (1856-1874), and William Rankine Currie (1874-1881). Its various buildings and structures were depicted on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of 1861, an extract from which appears at the top of this article. On this map, it is possible to identify a round structure standing separate from the other buildings, possibily representing a kiln. The Campbellfield Pottery Co. Ltd. moved production to a site in Springburn in the 1880s, and ceased production in 1901. The site of the pottery was extensively landscaped during the 1970s, but it was felt that solidly constructed structures such as kilns could have survived this process, and this proved to be the case. Evidence of kiln furniture, plus a number of wares marked with the Campbellfield stamp, has also been recovered from the site.
Following the identification of what appeared to be a kiln base during the evaluation, an additional phase of fieldwork was undertaken on the site. A larger area was opened around the possible kiln structure, both to look for additional structural evidence, and to explore the possibility that sherds of waste pottery may have been dumped into the pits from which clay had been extracted. This phase of work is nearing completion, and a report outlining the results will be submitted in due course.