The working life of Museum of London

Today was the antepenultimate day of our community dig and last day of school groups! We were joined by Year 7 pupils from another local school – Walworth Academy – and although the weather started off shaky, it turned into a scorcher by the afternoon.

Our Walworth students made excellent progress on excavating and processing finds from No. 84 Trafalgar Avenue. As we delved deeper into the trench we started to unearth more complete and substantial remains, especially building material of the original properties. This included huge pieces of walling with original plaster still attached and whole floor tiles which were cemented together.

An interesting find was the base of a ceramic vessel with the mark ‘Alfred B. Pearce and Company – 39 Ludgate Hill, London’. Back at the Museum of London I was able to discover a porcelain cup with the same mark in our Ceramic and Glass collection! This local company was active from the end of the 19th century and supplied a wide variety of ceramic and porcelain tableware.

Excitement was also happening directly opposite us where a new trench was opened up by a very large trowel known as a JCB(!), supervised by archaeologists Sadie and Bruce from Musuem of London Archaeology.

An assortment of finds started to appear including a bicycle pump, pair of pliers, button, bead, slate pencil and fountain pen – all very personal and practical objects. Of especial note were two connecting fragments of a ceramic vessel baring the Margate coat of arms and motto: Porta Maris Portus Salutis. Unlike our local piece of pottery supplied from Ludgate Hill, this little cup may have travelled all the way from Margate, along the old Dover Road (now the A2) which leads all the way to the Old Kent Road.

With two more days to go, it’s a rush to see if we can find any more meaningful artefacts and archaeology. On Monday the first week of our training excavation commences and a number of us here at the Museum of London will hang up our trowels until next year’s community dig…

Glynn Davis, LAARC, Museum of London

See our Flickr photostream for more photos from Day 10 at Burgess Park