Cheeky mid week bottle dig

[Kenleyboy]

I couldn't resist breaking the week up for another bottle dig , a quick call to my buddy and all was arranged for another early start so to avoid the heat of the sun which was predicted midday onwards . We arrived on the tip amidst the refreshing early morning breeze , we were a little later this morning but even at 6 am it gave us enough time to shift the old spoil out before the heat got to us both .
This was the halfway point of my trench , same hole as usual but pushed forward about two feet . The idea here is from my original line from where I left off is now my fresh starting point , so now its a case of emptying the spoil , but push forward a couple of feet and just dig down .

The little pile of spoil in the left hand corner of the trench is where this little beauty came out . It tumbled down the loose ash and lay at my feet and that was the first good find of the day and it was in top condition and I do love a neat decorative pipe bowl .
The figural heads depict Baden Powell while the opposite side is the bust of Sir G.White and makers mark "C.Crop , London " The main stem is missing and with the remnants of the copper ring you can see where the stem was attached , no doubt made from another material possibly ebonite or similar .
C.Crop was a prolific maker of clay pipes with many subject matters being busts of well known people of importance , this dates to about 1900.

From there on the morning passed gradually , the cool breeze helped a great deal as the sun was now climbing up above the protective line of willows which lay behind me screening me from the heat . A number of intermittent breaks to alleviate the task in hand , cool down with some water or tea from the flask and rest up . Apart from the few sea gulls bracing the clouds we saw not much else other than the myriad of butterflies which again were in abundance as were the midges and mosquitoes . For a brief moment we were graced with a group of five buzzards wheeling high up on the warm thermals and three stayed close together so we assumed it was the parent birds with its young while the other pair were possible scavengers testing to see if they could muscle in on the territory . Eventually they dispersed and went their separate ways and disappeared beyond the tree line .
Digging continued and there were plenty of finds but mostly generic and lots of broken stuff and at times when the seam looked really good and hopes were high , they failed to produce anything of significance . There are literally thousands of sea shells from clams to oyster shells , animal bone , big lumps which dull the thud of the fork or spade and send a terrible ripple up your arm muscles , its a horrible feeling hitting big bones but we find plenty of them and no doubt fed the Victorian families well .
Bottle finds are a bit scant and it goes like that , areas can be devoid of anything and then you get lucky as I did after many hours of effort . The fork probing away and picking at the compact ash , the crust falling away to reveal what is my earliest bottle from this tip and one that is a first for me .

I knew straight away what it was , buried halfway it was a gamble to know if it was whole especially as the last couple of ginger beers deceived me cruelly by being in half . I took the photograph just in case and I am glad that I did record the moment with its nose poking out because this time round my luck was in and with no damage at all , this for me was a good find .

The "lozenge" stamp gives this date as 28th December 1876 , nice and early .
As midday drew ever nearer I had a few more bottles with one being the quart size Dereham beer bottle , that was also a keeper as I live in a village under the Dereham banner so a nice local one which will join the other beer bottle on my shelf in my workshop .
A theme seems to be running there with the Steward and Petteson ginger beers , all came out almost bunched together yet the stamp marks all differ , Lambeth London , Stiff and Denby . I had a few last dig and the none before but despite the pain look they do come in a variety of different shades but these will go in the bulk box with the others and once a tidy pile has accumulated then these will find a new home .

It was now midday and the old saying mad dogs and Englishman springs to mind and finally it was now just too hot to continue and I was about done but all in another enjoyable mornings dig .

[hammeredsi]

Wow fantastic, great write up of your days events. I feel privileged, thanks for sharing

[Easylife]

Nice one Paul.

[Blackadder43]

You cant beat a sneaky trip out Paul
I have been trying for over a week to sneak out tecting and so far failed...

Those pipe bowls are corkers
Isnt it a funny old world too
Baden Powel the pioneer of the scout and later the girl scouts movements, yet here he is depicted on a pipe used for smoking
Wouldnt be tolerated in this day and age
How times change....

Amazing too that on your last trip no pipe bowls, yet a few feet forward and there they are.....almost as if it was a segregated dump

I suppose you must also find plates and serviceware too, but imagine that doesnt fair so well

[Easylife]

I have been trying for over a week to sneak out tecting and so far failed...

You go out by all means and I'll take the helm, what could possibly go wrong?

[shaggybfc]

My back hurts just looking at all that digging

[Oxgirl]

Paul love the pipe bowl. Glad you were rewarded for all that hard digging

[Dave The Slave]

Fantastic day you had, Paul.
Liked the pre extraction photo of the Ginger Beer Bottle. Totally unaware they had square/rectangular necks.
The pipe bowl is a crackerl.
Another great read.
Cheers,
Dave.

[Kenleyboy]

You cant beat a sneaky trip out Paul
I have been trying for over a week to sneak out tecting and so far failed...

Those pipe bowls are corkers
Isnt it a funny old world too
Baden Powel the pioneer of the scout and later the girl scouts movements, yet here he is depicted on a pipe used for smoking
Wouldnt be tolerated in this day and age
How times change....

Amazing too that on your last trip no pipe bowls, yet a few feet forward and there they are.....almost as if it was a segregated dump

I suppose you must also find plates and serviceware too, but imagine that doesnt fair so well

Plenty of plates etc , some really bizarre designs and others very decorative , typical Victorian but mostly all broken .