NEWPORT’S medieval pottery kiln, said to be ‘the most remarkably well preserved medieval pottery kiln in the UK’, is slowly disclosing its secrets.

This National Lottery funded project had a busy summer 2017 with scores of volunteers helping to wash and sort the 10,000 pieces of pottery discovered on site during the excavation work.

The fruits of their labour are now paying off. Thanks to the volunteers and the archaeologists, we now know what type of pottery was being made in the 1400s in Newport.

The kiln, from its size, could have fired up to 1,200 pots pre-firing, making it a significant sized pottery industry. The pottery was thrown to a good standard with a range of wares and usages.

As well as jugs and pots, it made ridge tiles, curfews which is a type of lid to put over a fire to keep it in overnight , and an alembic which is a piece of distilling equipment used for making alcohol such as an apple brandy or medicine.

The type of pottery found reveals how people lived and worked during the 1400’s. Work to tell the story of the kiln is under way and Newport Memorial Hall is looking forward to unveiling this most remarkable kiln to the public in early summer.

There will be a programme of events, festivals and activities to accompany the opening of the medieval pottery kiln.

Richard Bellamy, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Wales, said: “Uncovering where, and how, our ancestors lived helps communities to understand their own history and identity.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to support projects such as this that produce tantalising clues about the past, while also providing volunteers with new skills and interests about the heritage on their own doorsteps.”

To keep abreast of developments and finds at the site, follow the kiln’s progress on facebook https://www.facebook.com/medievalpotterykilnnewport