This report describes the results of archaeological fieldwork in east Gateshead that was undertaken between March 1999 and January 2000 in advance of major remediation works as part of the Music Centre, Gateshead, development. The archaeological works were carried out by ARCUS (Archaeological Research and Consultancy University of Sheffield) for TES Bretby on behalf of Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council. The report incorporates the results of a subsequent watching brief, which was held in the course of 2000 during site remediation. **Pre-medieval and medieval.** The ditches found in Area B are potentially the earliest features revealed by the excavation and may be part of an Iron Age enclosure or even, it has been suggested, the boundary to a Saxon settlement, which might be monastic. No Roman deposits or features were found, and it would appear that on the present evidence that the east side of Oakwellgate lay outside the area of Roman settlement. In Area A large quantities of pottery are evidence for intensive occupation on or near the site from at least the twelfth century. The only structural remains on this site revealed by the excavation were the fragmentary remains of a building(s) measuring c. 6m north-south x 10m east-west of thirteenth- to fourteenth-century date, fossilised within the remains of the later Rectory. Unfortunately cellaring in the post-medieval period and terracing of the site in recent years had destroyed most of the earlier structure, which consisted of parallel east-west wall foundations, between which were the remains of a hearth. In Area B the construction trench of the later burgage plot wall on the north side had destroyed any evidence for the earliest form of boundary, and the presence of advertising hoardings and the functioning garage made the southern boundary inaccessible. The evidence for medieval coal working shows an early co-existence between industry and domestic occupation, which later became a characteristic of the eastern part of the town. **Post-medieval** The fragments of clay tobacco pipe muffle kiln are of significance as being the first recorded evidence for pipe manufacturing material of this date to have been found on Tyneside. The evidence for mid to late seventeenth- to early eighteenth-century industrial activity provided by the remains of a brick kiln to the north of the Rectory represents a technological advance on the clamp kiln. It is a permanent structure of brick and stone with having with brick flues, floor and a stokehole to the south. During the watching brief that followed the excavation, scatters of wasters and possibly traces of other brick kilns were found to the east of the Rectory. This corroborates Bournes 1736 description of the area as the Brick Kiln Field, while a possible pond was noted in the Watching Brief to the east of the kiln. To the south and south-east of the Rectory numerous narrow trenches cutting into the clay and sand subsoil, some orientated east-west, others north-south, have been provisionally interpreted as representing the garden area. The excavation produced the largest assemblage of medieval and early post-medieval pottery thus far recovered from Gateshead. The early material is of importance for pottery studies in the region and for comparison with Newcastle, where much is mid-thirteenth century onwards. The double ditches in Area B and the postulated early enclosed settlement to the north and west suggest that every opportunity should be taken for open area excavation between High Street and Oakwellgate.
Nolan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.