A clay tobacco pipe factory in Bath

Home Projects A clay tobacco pipe factory in Bath

The project Saw Close Manufacturing process The remains

The project

Archaeological excavation in 2015–2016 at Saw Close and Bridewell Lane, Bath, revealed the site of a clay tobacco pipe factory operating in the city centre in the 18th and 19th centuries. The excavation was undertaken prior to the development of a hotel, casino and restaurants on the site by Deeley Freed Estates. The investigations were coordinated with Historic England, the Bath and North East Somerset Council Archaeologist, Deeley Freed Estates, engineering consultants Clarke Bond, and contractor Sanctus.

Saw Close through time

The Saw Close area has a long and complex history, with evidence of high-status Roman buildings with mosaic floors found beneath Blue Coat School, the Mineral Water Hospital and Westgate Street. The site lies in the north-western corner of the medieval town, the walls of which are believed to take their line from earlier Roman defences. However, the present street layout is believed to have been established much later, in the 9th century.

The clay tobacco pipe factory was originally built by Joseph Smith in 1780, it passed to James Clarke in 1810, followed by William Needes in 1833, John Russell between 1834 and 1835, and Joseph Sants in 1835. Sants was the final owner, with the factory forced to close in 1851. It was demolished around 1859 to make way for a playground for Blue Coat School.

Plan showing location of clay tobacco pip factory adjacent to Bridewell Street — Location of the Bridewell Lane Tobacco Pipe Factory on Late Georgian map of 1760-1800

An archaeological trench dug in 2011 located two pipe kilns and over 4,000 pieces of clay tobacco pipe. Pieces of pipe were variously marked with the different maker names of Smith, Clarke and Sants.

The excavation that followed a few years later was successful in revealing the footprint of the factory. Two kilns were located at the western end of the rectangular building, together with coal bunkers. A large moulding workshop occupied the eastern end, with a trimming room and store (below a staircase to a second floor) set centrally between the kilns and workshop. The moulding room perhaps accommodated four workshop benches, with a person to each, moulding pipes; in both the 1841 and 1851 censuses four men are described as pipe-makers living in or near Bridewell Lane.

The Clay Pipe Manufacturing Process

Cutaway section of the interior of a pipe kiln

The pipe kilns found on the site are of a ‘developed muffle’ type, whereby the clay tobacco pipes were fired within a large cylindrical structure made of pipe clay – the ‘muffle’. This protected the pipes from direct exposure to high-temperature, enabling a more consistent firing process.

At Saw Close, only a small portion of the kiln superstructure survived, and none of the muffle remained. The sectioned image on the left shows how the kilns would have appeared (image reproduced with the kind permission of A Peacey from ‘The Development of the Tobacco Pipe Kiln in the British Isles. BAR British Series 246, 1996.’).

How were the pipes made?

A man pulling a small piece from a large lump of clay — **Processing the raw material**

Lumps of raw pipe clay would have been soaked in troughs, before being beaten on iron-plated benches until pliable. It’s not clear whether this happened at the Saw Close factory or whether the clay was first prepared elsewhere.

A man rolling clay on a table — **Rolling**

The softened clay was then rolled to form the pipe stem, leaving a lump at one end to form the pipe bowl.

a man threading wire through a tube of clay — **Wiring and moulding**

Metal wires were inserted into the stem of each rough-shaped ‘pipe’ before pressing into metal moulds. Iron cones were placed into the heads of the pipes to form the bowls.

a woman using a small tool to mould a clay pipe — **Trimming**

Once set, the moulded pipes were removed and trimmed.

wooden trays of clay pipes drying on a rack — **Drying**

The pipes would have been dried for at least three days, to prevent sagging and distortion in the kiln, with afterwards any final trimming done before firing.

aerial view the excavated remains of a doub;e-chambered kiln floor — **Firing**

The unfired pipes were carefully stacked within a box or vessel, known as a ‘saggar’, or into a larger ‘muffle’ as at Saw Close. They would have been fired within the kiln at temperatures of 900–1000°C. At Saw Close the pair of kilns could have operated in rotation, with one heating up, while the other cooled.

Once fired, the side wall of the muffle would have been broken out and the pipes retrieved ready for ‘tipping’. This usually involved dipping the tips of the pipes into a red lead-glaze, and then firing just the tips within a specific tipping ‘muffle’. The glaze turned green on firing, and was done to prevent the smoker’s lips sticking to the pipe.

boxes of clay pipes — **Packing and storage**

Once the tips had been applied, the pipes were ready for packing ready for distribution. They were distributed via local pubs, where drinkers bought a pipe and tobacco with a pint.

Archival photographs: reproduced with the kind permission of S. Paul Jung Jr, taken from the book ‘Pollocks of Manchester: Three Generations of Clay Tobacco Pipemakers, BAR British Series 352, 2003.’

Pipe factory remains and reconstruction

Check out our photogrammetry model of the remains of two kiln bases associated with the manufacture of clay tobacco pipes in the 18th to 19th centuries.

Take a walk through the Saw Close clay pipe factory. Made by our Senior Geomatics Officer, this 3D reconstruction will give you an idea of how things might have looked back in the 1800s.