The industrialization of an ecclesiastical hamlet: stoneware production in Lambeth and the sanitary revolution

Abstract

The paper discusses the results of an excavation conducted in North Lambeth on a site formerly occupied by part of the Doulton drainpipe works. The development of the site is charted from its origins as part of a medieval hamlet centred around Lambeth Palace through to the explosion of stoneware production in the 19th century. The expansion of stoneware production is placed in its historical context, with a brief discussion of the pottery traditions of Lambeth. The nature of the production processes, organization of the works, kiln technology and products recovered from the excavation form part of the discussion. The speed and scale of change for the 19th-century site are dramatic and the joint review of the archaeological and historical evidence show that contemporary industry and civil engineering produced a vast market for the Lambeth stoneware industry.