TRESA was interested to see the comments (reproduced below) in relation to the importance of archeology in the Mead Street area.
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Comments for Planning Application 21/06878/F
Address: Land At Corner Of York Road And St Lukes Road Bedminster Bristol BS3 4AD
Proposal: Mixed-use redevelopment including 221 residential (C3) units and 651 sq.m. of commercial floorspace (Class E) on ground floor, together with a new vehicular access off Mead Street, cycle and car parking provision, private amenity space, servicing arrangements, landscaping, public realm, and associated works.
Living Easton Heritage and Environmental Group are a community based environmental and heritage organisation of around 20 individuals and affiliated societies based predominantly around the suburbs of Easton, Whitehall, Barton Hill and Lawrence Hill in Bristol who take a particular interest in heritage, planning and sustainability issues in Bristol.
We are aware that this is a high density development and are concerned about the potential destruction of archaeology without it being fully recorded.
As a prime example of this, the developers consultants failed to pick up on a significant find of clay tobacco pipe kiln waste at Mead Street and Wear Street in 1982 manufactured by Richard Frank Ring’s Temple Back factory in the 1850’s. This find was important enough to be published in the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology journal. This publication describes the Mead Street archaeological excavation referred to together with drawings of clay tobacco pipe kiln wasters recovered from a number of pit groups across the site. It would be sensible for the developers to obtain copies of this publication from the Society for Post Medieval Archaeology to indicate the
location of these pit groups for future reference before any groundworks are commenced – I think there were at least 10 pits but it is quite possible that more pipe kiln waste could still exist.
Price, R., Jackson, R., Jackson, P., Harper, P. and Kent, O. (1984). The Ring family of Bristol, clay tobacco pipe manufacturers 1802-84, exports and kiln dump waste. Post-Medieval Archaeology Vol 18, pp. 263-300.
Ongoing research is being done on Richard Frank Ring following on from previous work carried out by the late Dr Roger Price.
The importance of recording any new clay tobacco pipe kiln waste cannot be underestimated because these finds are of both national and international importance as clay tobacco pipes produced in Bristol by the RF Ring’s factory have previously been found in Canada the USA and elsewhere.
When any archaeological excavation work is being carried out on site, it is important that the Society for Clay Pipe Research is notified of any finds (in particular Dr David Higgins) to assist in the observation and evaluation of any clay tobacco pipe kiln group finds which may occur.
The documentary research carried out by Dr Roger Price on Richard Frank Ring can be found in the following publication: Bristol Pipemakers (& Their Families) of the 16th to 20th Centuries by Dr Roger Price Bristol Archives Ref: NPM/B/132
Currently, we are unclear as to what conditions are going to be attached to this planning application, whether as a watching brief or a full archaeological excavation but we would expect that sufficient resource is put in place to ensure that any new clay tobacco pipe kiln waste finds are properly recorded.