Brick footings and a probable kiln base were exposed in three of the four trenches investigated, all interpreted as relating to the post-medieval farm. While the footings in one evaluation trench correspond with a barn seen on historic mapping, those in another trench and the kiln base probably relate to the first decades of the farm evolution.

The footings yielded no datable artefacts which reliably dates them to the later 19th century and they relate to buildings demolished in the later 20th century.

Specific Details:

The first trench (20m x 2m) lay in the east of the site on a roughly north-south alignment. At the southern end of the trench the terminal end of a ceramic soakaway drain
was revealed. Its associated pipes were of varying diameter, which might reflect repair.

Closer to the centre of the first trench was the eastern half of the circular foundation of a probable kiln. The profile of its construction cut was sharp, with vertical sides and a slightly concave base. The foundation comprised loose broken bricks with rare tile fragments, the upper section of which had been fused by heat (from the kiln above) to form a solid mass. A small assemblage of clay tobacco pipe fragments and 19th century pottery sherds were recovered from the foundation.

Two brick features were exposed in the second trench. Crossing the western end of the trench was a wall in a footing cut. This consisted of four courses of 3” brick, the upper course being just beneath the turf layer and somewhat disturbed. Investigation recorded the differing patterns of each course with lime mortar noted as the bonding material. This footing aligned with a scar on the brick wall of the adjacent structure, suggesting this was a building contemporary with that farm outbuilding.

Also in the second trench, nearly 7m to the east was another footing. This was a single layer of unbonded 3” brick with traces of lime mortar across the surface they created. While the eastern edge of this arrangement was uneven, the western presented a straight edge suggesting this is a flooring that abutted a wall footing now lost.

The wall footing and floor correspond with a building shown on historic OS mapping. The barn is demolished in the later 20th century improving vehicular access around the farmyard.

Within the third trench, a narrow wall footing (a brick and a half wide) on a NNE-SSW alignment was exposed, extending a little over 3m from the southern Limit of Excavation, appearing to be robbed out to the north and continuing beyond the northern trench edge. The 3” bricks were unbonded with only a single course of bricks remaining.

On the west side of this wall was a rough brick floor, partially bonded with lime mortar in an irregular pattern. Both wall and floor were laid directly onto the natural gravels.

L. Brocklehurst, 2025, Main Street Farm, Main Street, Kneesall, Newark and Sherwood, Nottinghamshire, NG22 0AD: Archaeological Evaluation Report (Unpublished document). SNT5980.