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Summary

Site of a tannery that was established in the earlier 18th century or before and continued to operate until 1913. Recent ground works for the construction of new buildings revealed the remains of walls, a cobbled floor and 13 wood-lined vats.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY08NW/76

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TANNERY (XVIII to XIX - 1701 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Gillbrook Tannery' marked on 1880s-1890s 25 inch Ordnance Survey map, comprising a series of buildings within a large yard.

Brighouse, U. W., 1981, Woodbury: A View from the Beacon, 110,132,134,168,192 (Monograph). SDV129476.

18th and 19th century references to the tannery.

Brighouse, U. W., 1982, Milling in Woodbury, 63-66 (Article in Serial). SDV129477.

Weddell, P. J., 1983, Tannery (Worksheet). SDV342631.

Demolition work at the tanyard had apparently uncovered a series of pits, some brick-lined, others wood-lined. A site visit on 22/02/1083 proved fruitless as the trenches had been filled in and a building already partly erected on the site. The debris and spoil contained mostly brick and soil, although some black deposits were noted. Little remains of the original buildings apart from a long barn-like building of brick and cob at the rear. There were also some pieces of machinery lying around including a grinding machine. The site is now occupied by Ware and Sons, footwear distributors, and according to the manager the tanyard last worked more than 50 years ago.

Weddell, P. J., 1983, Untitled Source (Ground Photograph). SDV342637.

Bodman, M., 2008, Devon leather (Monograph). SDV342632.

One of three tanneries that once operated in Woodbury. The earliest documentary reference to the Gillbrook Tannery is in 1756. 'Gilbrooke' was advertised for sale in the Exeter Flying Post for 8th January 1829. The property is described as 'all that Mesuage, Tenement or Dwelling House, Tan-yard [and] Gardens. A sale of stock in April 1829 included hides and skins, an almost new bark mill by Bodleys, a double cider screw press and a horse engine. William Sanders took the business on and later ran the yard in partnership with members of the Ware family who assumed control in 1856 when Sanders retired. The Ware family ran the tannery until it closed in 1913.

Steinmetzer, M., 2009, Archaeological Monitoring at the Tanyard, Woodbury, Devon (Report - Watching Brief). SDV342627.

The Tithe Map of circa 1841 shows an L-shaped building with a smaller structure between it and the barn that formed the northern boundary of the site. The property, known as Gillbrook, was leased and occupied by William Saunders from the Vicars Choral of Exeter Cathedral. Saunders had taken over the property in 1929 and formed a partnership with William Walter Ware whose family were to retain the property for many generations. By 1888 the L-shaped building had been expanded with a complex of additional buildings alongside. These remained in place until at least the 1950s. Few remains of the tannery complex were revealed during machining for the foundations of new buildings. These included a sections of wall footings and an associated cobble floor. Thirteen wood-lined vats were also found, aligned east-west in three parallel rows. Each vat was about 2.5 metres square and 0.3 metres deep.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4530 - Archaeological Monitoring at the Tanyard, Woodbury

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