Once
upon a time,
before the town of Portsmouth was founded, this coastline was made
up of creeks, low-lying marsh and water. Over the centuries the coastline
has altered, but the town's position here on the south coast, its
proximity to the open sea, coupled with control of the harbour and
its entrance, have secured Portsmouth's place in history as one of
the world's great anchoranges and a rendevouz for British shipping
in times of war for over 800 years.
Object of the month: 07/03
A Chafing dish dating to between 1620-1640 which was found during
the excavations of Oyster Street, Old Portsmouth, in the late 1960s
and early 1970s. Over the four years in which Oyster Street was
excavated an occupation sequence from the 12th-13th century to
modern times was discovered.
Oyster Street lay alongside the Camber, the original medieval harbour of Portsmouth. During the 14th and 15th Centuries Oyster Street was the site of storage buildings, a dock and quay. At this time it was probably an important supply base for trading vessels. Its fortunes waned in the 16th century but by the 17th and 18th centuries it has become an important industrial area, most notably for clay pipe making.
A large number of finds were excavated from the site, including pottery from all periods, clay pipes, leather shoes and assorted glass vessels. We don't know much about the chafing dish itself, other than that it is made from a hard, buff coloured clay and covered in a bright green copper glaze, it may be Dutch in origin. Hot ashes or charcoal would be placed into the bowl of the chafing dish and then it could be used to keep a plate of food warm or even to cook items at table. Accession No. 150/1971
Past Months
Object of the month:02/04, 10/03, 09/03, 08/03, 07/03, 06/03
