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Summary

Well preserved remains of a brewhouse, including hearth, ovens and drain, uncovered during excavations in the courtyard beside the cider house. The building, which overlay the monastic great drain, was demolished circa 1770.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1018366: Buckland Abbey

Other References/Statuses

• Tide Project: 10/07/2020

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BREWHOUSE (Early Medieval to XVIII - 1066 AD to 1770 AD (Between))

Full description

Allan, J., 2006, The Excavation of a Brewhouse at Buckland Abbey in 2005, 250-264 (Article in Serial). SDV344668.

Excavation in the courtyard beside the Cider House revealed the well-preserved remains of a structure identified as a brewhouse, which was demolished circa 1770. The brewhouse was found to overlie the great drain of the Abbey. The building comprised a rectangular stone structure with substantial stone walls and a cobbled floor. Its northern wall incorporated a drain which led to the monastic drain below. Adjacent to this was a large hearth flanked by a large and a small oven. Within the cobbled floor were three drainage channels which led down to the drain in the northern wall. An iron grille survived above the drain. Two changes to the initial layout of the kitchen were apparent. Firstly, the eastern end of the room had been rebuilt as it overlay an earlier drain. Secondly, an area of flat shale slabs had been laid across the line of a drain in the primary cobbling, presumably representing an area of repair. The kitchen was buried in a demolition deposit which contained many broken roofing slate fragments indicating that the building had a slate roof. The deposit contained a few sherds of Staffordshire white salt-glazed stoneware of circa 1740-60. Further sherds were found in the hearth below which seemed to indicate the period of the buildings demolition. However, Aislabie's map shows it to be still standing in 1769 and so it must have been demolished circa 1770 or a little later. The arrangement of the hearth flanked by ovens and the presence of a drain suggest that the building functioned as a brewhouse. See article for full details.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4745 - Excavation of a Brewhouse at Buckland Abbey

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