One of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of my work is the reconstruction and firing of ancient kilns. I have over 35 years experience of building, and firing with wood and other renewable energy sources, a variety of different kilns. Twenty of those years were spent in Lesotho, Southern Africa, where I had the privilege of witnessing several traditional African firings, an honour which the exclusively female, Basotho potters do not usually afford to men. This is living history in its truest form, the techniques used by these women correspond very closely with those that would have been used by potters of the Neolithic and Bronze-Age here in Britain.
I have built and fired kilns for a variety of museums and projects including: A La Tene derived surface built Roman kiln at Segedunum Roman Fort; A Saxon wattle and daub kiln at Bede's World, Jarrow; A Saxon clay lined sunken kiln at the Maelmin Heritage trail Milfield, Northumberland; A temporary Roman kiln at Senhouse Roman Fort, Maryport; Prehistoric open firings at, Segedunum, Maelmin and Upper Coquetdale; A sunken, Nene Valley type Roman kiln at Brigantium, Rochester, Northumberland
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