53.49237, -1.293814
Archaeological excavations at the former site of the New Don Glass Works in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, uncovered the remains of two of buildings pre-dating the works and several larger structures constructed as part of the glassworks in 1891–2. There was no evidence for structural remains pre-dating 1839. The results provide an insight into the location and development of the individual buildings and allow some consideration of the likely process-flow within and between them. From the combined archaeological, cartographic, and documentary evidence, four principal phases of development were identified.
A small assemblage of glass and glassmaking debris was recovered, including bottles, jars and Codd-bottle marbles, most of which appears to derive from the bottle-works. The pottery assemblage included biscuit-fired wasters of late 18th- and 19th-century type and fragments of kiln furniture indicating that this was waste from a pottery. Notably, there is evidence to suggest that the waste has been transported some distance rather than from a pottery adjacent to the site.
The publication report is available here, and will in due course be published in the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society Journal. Due to copyright restrictions some of the figures and plates have not been included.