The Archaeology of Industry, Commerce and the Lives of the Poor in Bath’s Lost Quayside District
(Wessex Archaeology Occasional Paper)
By Cai Mason
ISBN 9781911137160
Excavations ahead of the Bath Quays development in the City of Bath World Heritage Site, provided an opportunity to excavate a strip through the heart of the former Avon Street District – a notorious area, which was once synonymous with crime, disease and poverty. Developed in the 18th century and demolished in the early 1930s, this district was once home to 10,000 of the city’s poorest inhabitants who lived in cramped dwellings nestled amongst the factories, stables, slaughterhouses, breweries, pubs and warehouses that grew up alongside the city’s riverside quays.
The archaeological work, coupled with extensive documentary research, has allowed the physical remains and artefacts to be linked to some of the area’s colourful and diverse inhabitants.
