Ep 5. The Furnace in the Cellar, Ironbridge

In the episode titled "The Furnace in the Cellar," the Time Team travels to Ironbridge, Shropshire, to investigate a cellar excavation site. The area was once home to the Darby family, who played a significant role in the Industrial Revolution. The team is interested in uncovering the secrets of the cellar and discovering whether or not it was used as a furnace for ironworking.

Upon arrival, the team meets with local experts and learns about the history of the area. They discover that the cellar was used as a storage space for coal, which could have been used as fuel for ironworking. The team decides to excavate the area both inside and outside of the cellar, hoping to uncover any clues that would reveal its use.

The team starts by digging a trench outside of the cellar to gain a better understanding of what lies beneath the soil. They use a variety of tools, including metal detectors and soil sieves, to sift through the dirt and uncover any artifacts that could lead them to the answer. They find coal deposits and various pieces of pottery that could be linked to the industrial activities of the area.

Inside the cellar, the team digs through layers of dirt and rubble to find the furnace itself. They use a 3D laser scanner to create a detailed digital map of the site, which helps them understand the layout of the cellar and allows them to visualize the furnace in its entirety.

As the team digs deeper, they begin to find more evidence of ironworking. They find a large amount of slag, a byproduct of iron smelting, which leads them to believe that the cellar was indeed used as a furnace. They also find pieces of iron ore and clay that could have been used to make molds for casting iron.

The team enlists the help of a local blacksmith to help them understand the ironworking process. He creates a replica of a small iron bar using a traditional furnace and hammer, demonstrating how ironworking would have been done in the cellar many years ago.

Throughout the excavation, the team faces a number of challenges, including the discovery of a brick wall that could have sealed off part of the cellar and the difficulty of working in a confined space. Despite these challenges, the team is able to uncover enough evidence to support their hypothesis that the cellar was used as a furnace for ironworking.

"The Furnace in the Cellar" is an exciting episode that showcases the ingenuity and dedication of the Time Team as they work to uncover the secrets of the past. Through meticulous excavation and careful analysis of artifacts, they are able to piece together an important piece of history and shed new light on the industrial activities of the region.