More information : (Area centred SU 81004020) Roman Pottery and Tile Kilns (R) (1)
The Alice Holt 1st-4th century Roman Potteries.
Alice Holt Forest lies some 2-3 miles SW of Farnham. The main area of Roman Kiln mounds lies within the south end of the forest, which is situated at the north end of a large outcrop of gault clay. Most of the mounds are on the north-east side of a tributary valley of the southern branch of the River Wey. The existence of these mounds has been known for many years and is noted by Long in 1839. A summary of earlier comment and work in the area is contained in the 'Alice Holt Forest', by Wade in 1949. In the late 1950's the area was adopted by the Alice Holt Pottery Research Group, some of whose findings are published.
Two distinct features are visible in the area:
(a). Large irregular mounds of black-earth and pottery, probably covering the site of a kiln.
(b) A scatter of pottery associated, in some cases, with a slight mound of 'natural soil', possibly dumps or storage sites.
In addition, a number of disused pond-bays on the two streams that run through the area may be contemporary. They are not noted by any of the above authorities but their position must be considered very suggestive.
For individual sitings and descriptions see Map Diagram.
Surveyed at 1:2500. (2)
SU 806399, SU 809401 and SU 811398. Romano-British kiln sites, Alice Holt Forest. Scheduled monument 244, on Crown property. (3)
SU 809401. To ease administration in view of the complexity of the site a block scheduling has been made. The area includes most of the known Roman industrial area including all the dams, by-pass channels and sluices which it is suggested are Roman in origin, as well as the whole of the Goose Green Deer Park. It excludes the Forestry Commission college at Forest Lodge "but not the ground beneath". (4)
Investigation of 82 waster dumps at Alice Holt provided ample material for a relative dating sequence for the pottery products, and a search through museums provided evidence for a distribution pattern. There was no large-scale production before 60 AD. From a medium-sized industry in the latter half of the 1st century, the Alice Holt potteries declined in the 2nd century, but then revived to become one of the major production centres in the country in the mid - 3rd century, and in the 4th century captured the London market. Its speciality then was large storage jars, with a wide distribution over the country (itself something of a mystery). Alice Holt continued production up to the end of the Roman period, but in the 4th century - shift in emphasis had occured to production of Hookrimmed jars and yellow fabric vessels. Excavations in 1979 revealed at least 19 successive building phases. (5-8)
Full gazetteer of kiln sites. (9)
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