159-188 Brentford High Street, Brentford, Hounslow;
TQ 1742 7735; (Jennifer Proctor); evaluation; 15 January-13th June 1996; British Waterways (Southern Region); BLR96
Five archaeological trenches were excavated on this site, which covers an area of c. 1 hectare and is located immediately to the south of the River Brent where it joins the Grand Union Canal. Natural brickearth was recorded at a height of 3.77m OD. At the east end of the site a horizon of burnt and worked flint included a Neolithic arrow-head and a Prehistoric core. A pit was cut into the Prehistoric horizon containing pottery dating to the second half of the first century AD. It was sealed by layers forming a hard surface (similar to one previously found immediately to the west), which contained pottery from the Roman period.
Several pits were recorded at the east end of the site containing pottery dating to 1100-1300. Significant quantities of Medieval building materials were found in Post-Medieval contexts suggesting the presence of Medieval buildings in the area, which were demolished or repaired at a later date. From the 16th century onwards activity was seen from the centre to the east of the site which consisted of the disposal of waste from the tanning industry. There was also evidence for the development of some property boundaries which survived until quite recently. Sixteenth to Nineteenth Century make-up deposits were seen across the site, perhaps reflecting the proximity of the River Brent, which was prone to flooding. In the centre of the site evidence of some 17th century industrial activity was found, possibly relating to tanning.
Documentary evidence shows a large house on the site by the late 17th century which was demolished between 1898 and 1915. By the mid Nineteenth century offices had been added to its rear and it stood within a large tannery. Several well preserved wood lined tanning pits were excavated which showed two main pit sizes and some used re-used timbers in their construction. Some of these timbers may have come from a river revetment. The tannery ceased operations between 1873 and 1898. Surveys of two 19th century buildings within the site, prior to their demolition, showed one to be a workshop probably relating to the tannery, and the other to be a cart store on Durham's Wharf. The cart store incorporated several boat oars into its roof and ceiling joists.
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