AGM and Autumn Lecture

This lecture describes the results of an open area excavation undertaken in two stages on the western side of Silver Street which revealed several phases of activity. The first occupation of the site consisted of a Medieval tilery comprising two tile kilns and a well, dated between the 12th and 14th centuries AD, with the last firing of one of the kilns returning an archaeomagnetic date between AD1268–1328. That the tilery was supplying tiles to the Abbey is demonstrated by designs on wasters from the kilns here matching designs on tiles recorded in-situ in the floor of the Abbey cloister in excavations of the 1960s. Discovery of these medieval deposits at this location along Silver Street has added modestly to the known extent of the medieval town.

The abandonment of the tilery was followed by a phase of intensive occupation with pit digging and evidence of a cellared building fronting Silver Street, dated between the 14th and 16th centuries. Evidence of post-medieval occupation was more scattered with a domestic oven dated between the 16th and 17th centuries and a spread of pits suggesting a continuation of the domestic occupation of the previous phase.

Biographical information

David Sánchez arrived to England in 2015 after 9 years working in archaeological projects in Spain, Portugal and Ireland, and with a background in Ancient History and Archaeology from a History degree in the University of Salamanca and a Postgraduate degree in Prehistory and Archaeology in the University of Madrid. Working for Thames Valley Archaeological Services as site supervisor and project officer soon started running his own projects, from small geophysical surveys, archaeological evaluations and watching briefs, to large excavation projects such as the Roman Villa of Street Farm in Tackley (Oxfordshire) or the Iron Age settlement off the M40 in Banbury (Northamptonshire). More recently David has moved to the management team of Thames Valley Archaeological Services, working as Projects Coordinator for the last couple of years. 

During the course of his career in archaeology David has produced a number of publications in Spain, Portugal and England, from small contributions in join papers to solo publications showing the results of archaeological investigations in regional publication series such as Oxoniensia or the Thames Valley Archaeological Services Monograph and Occasional Papers series, including the publication of the results for the excavation at Silver Street, Reading.