Monument record MDO40822 - Post medieval clay pit and brick works, Smugglers Lane, Colehill

Post medieval clay pits and a brick works on the south side of Smugglers Lane, Colehill, are visible on 1950s aerial photographs. The site is recorded on the OS 1st Edition map. The features were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Post medieval clay pits and a brick works on the south side of Smugglers Lane, Colehill, are visible on 1950s aerial photographs (1).

The features comprise a large irregular extractive pit 120m long by up to 72m wide, with a smaller pit 66m by 1.5m to the west of this, with a historic trackway running between these from the south, srecorded on the OS 1st Edition map (2). In additon there are a further series of smaller sub-circular and irregular scarps and depressions to the southeast of the largest pit and a long elongated scarp to the east. Within the northeast extent of the site are a couple of ditched trackways leading into the site from Smugglers Lane, along with a u-shaped roofless structure that may be a kiln or other associated building.

The site is recorded on the OS 1st Edition map although only the largest clay pit is present at that time. A kiln and other building also shown on the OS 1st Edition map are not visible in 1951 (1 and 2).

The site is partially under trees and partially redeveloped as a school playing field on current Google Earth imagery and the features are no longer visible. They were digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

<1> Royal Air Force, 17-APR-51, RAF/58/629 V 5179-80 (Aerial Photograph). SDO15912.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1864, 1886, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch one (Map). SDO10239.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 5:01PM