Day 4 - Saturday 11th July 2009

Yesterday’s new trench (N on the plan) has produced fairly swift results and by the end of the afternoon we had uncovered part of the foundation of one of the two turrets that decorated the south end of the east wing. These are part of the additions designed by Robert Adam for the 12^th Earl of Derby of about 1779.

We have also uncovered one side of the bay at the end of the dining room (trench H). I have been puzzled as to why the wall there was so substantial when the wall on the opposite side of the room (trench H) was so thin and flimsy. Further excavation has provided an answer to this. The wall in trench H was not thin and flimsy. The inside was demolished to a lower level than so we could only see part of the thickness when we first uncovered it. We have now removed more soil and the whole width has appeared and it is similar to the wall on the other side.

Overnight we decided to stop work on trench D as that part of the house seems to have been very thoroughly demolished and it seems unlikely it will reveal anything about the foundations of the mid-18^th century building. We have started a new trench F a little to the east in the hope that the foundations will be better preserved there. The trench is not yet deep enough to know if it has been successful

We have found several pieces of pan tile with black iron glaze on the top. Pan tiles were common type of roofing in the 18^th and early 19^th century but they were not usually glazed. We are not, at present, certain how old these tiles are, but an 18^th or early 19^th century date seems likely. They might belong to the Earl of Derby’s ownership, or may be older.