Substantial Medieval masonry structure of a service range on north side of the outer court.
A drain slot abutted the eastern side of the building, aligned N/S its function was perhaps to take rain water from the overhanging eaves of an adjacent roof. A masonry lined version replaced the drain by mid 15th century. The drain was robbed of its covering and infille some time after the Dissolution. Thick demolition deposits covered the remains of the building. It would seem that the excavation uncovered an hitherto unsuspected addition to the service range closing the northern side of the Outer Court, though whether the structure was detached or not was not proven. A small number of post-Medieval and modern features were located during the early course of the excavation. The archaeological sequence was completed by a thick deposit of topsoil which may in part have been formed by post-Medieval agricultural processes.

"Sites 9 and 14 can be considered together, as they constitute the east end of the monastic Bakehouse / Brewhouse range and its ancillary buildings, dating to after 1283. The pottery assemblage from these sites is of a very similar character and there are a number of sherd cross-joins between the two. Both sites produced fragments of several ceramic drainpipes (a complete profile in one case) which are obviously related to the drainage channels found during the excavation. Parts of two unusually large ceramic tripod-footed cauldrons were recovered from both sites: sites 9 produced the rim and handle of a green-glazed cauldron in a pale Wealden fabric and part of a Tyler Hill ware cauldron leg which is almost certainly from the same vessel as the two cauldron legs from Site 14. One of the cauldron legs is complete and with a length of 210mm it must be one of the largest ceramic cauldrons to have been found in this country. Part of the cauldron base also survives in another context but the rest of the vessel is unfortunately lacking, unless part of an unusually robust and scooted rim from Site 13 represents the same or a similar vessel.

Sites 9 and 14 also produced one or two dripping pans for collecting fat from roasting meat and four or five unusual cylindrical or tapered vessel rims. These do not appear to be drainpipes and could therefore be from the upper parts of gourd-shaped industrial vessels, which are known as cucurbits and whose uses included distillation. Some unusual thick-walled bowls from these sites might also have served an industrial function. The remaining vessels consist of jugs and cooking pots.
Clearly, many of the vessels from the Bakehouse / Brewhouse range must relate to precisely these activities. At the very least the cauldrons point to food preparation on a large scale (?brewing the wort) and the other unusual and possibly industrial vessels from these sites might indicate more exotic activities, such as the distillation of spirits etc., although other more mundane uses should not be ruled out." (3)

Assemblage of metal working debris
377 items, with 6 classified as 'late medieval'

"A considerable volume of ironworking debris was retrieved from the excavations conducted between 1983 and 1995. Broadly catalogued as slag, this material actually consists of a variety of industrial elements, which include smelting and smithing slag, cinder, hearth bottom, hearth lining and fuel ash slag, as well as hammerscale." (2)

Bennett, P., 1991, Christ Church College (Article in serial). SKE30533.

<2> Hicks, Martin, 1996, Archaeological Excavations at Canterbury Christ Church College. Assessment Report on Excavations conducted between 1983-1995 (Unpublished document). SKE31570.

<3> Hicks, Martin and Houliston, Mark, 1999, Archaeological Excavations at Canterbury Christ Church College. Assessment report on excavations conducted between 1983-1996 (Unpublished document). SKE31574.