In case you missed it, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a short item on the Highgate Roman Kiln as part of their Sunday Feature strand – New Generation Thinkers: Clay and Collapse.
Medieval historian Eleanor Barraclough heads to Highgate Woods in London, the site of ten former Roman kilns, which were operated from c40-150 CE. Here she sees a replica kiln in action – as skilled potters create pots using historically accurate materials, tools and decorations – and hear what brought the Romans and pottery clay to the Thames.
And she’ll explore the biggest mystery in British pottery history: after the Romans left, why did potters abandon their wheels, and return to simpler hand building techniques?
Contributors:
Monika Buttling-Smith, member of the Society of Thames Mudlarks
Nick Peacey, Friends of Highgate Roman Kiln
Shem Morgan, Senior Technician at Turning Earth Highgate
Graham Taylor, Potted History
Available on BBC Sounds: Highgate Roman Kilns on BBC Radio Three
