Back in mid August, Steev was digging around one of the compost bins at the top of the orchard checking for rats. He didn’t find rats, but spotted some pieces of glass which looked interesting, so he kept digging…and discovered a small collection of Victorian and Edwardian artefacts.
Intrigued by this unexpected find, he continued digging and discovered some unusual bottles, including disinfectant bottles and an almost intact Victorian stoneware hot water bottle!

Further digging unearthed some really rusty scraps of metal including half an old kettle/teapot. The good finds have been cleaned and will be on display at the forthcoming Open Afternoon.

The finds area has traces of an old building with broken bricks, peg tiles, floor tiles, bits of mortar and window glass. After a little research it was found that area was once called the ‘Garden’ behind what was the ‘Bull’ pub (which is now no.32 Ermine Street). So the buried rubbish would make sense as most old properties had rubbish pits in the gardens.

We have one photo showing the Items that are mainly intact, another shows an old rusty kettle/teapot with a bucket of various types of broken glass, and one showing the vulcanite bottle stoppers with company names on.

Three dumpy bottles with dimples probably for disinfectant.
Two clear pickle bottles.
Two medicine bottles.
Two metal boot heal plates.
Eight bottle stoppers, four glass, four vulcanite with company names on.
One ‘Califig Successors to The California fig syrup Co’ bottle probably Victorian.
One 4oz bovril bottle.
One 'Oatine' face cream bottle.
One milk glass kitchen container. 
One small green bootle with metal lid.
One large beer/wine bottle.
One stoneware hot water bottle.
One pair of very rusty secateurs.
One alloy handle.
One alloy bracket.

Footnote: The first Lysol Brand Antiseptic Disinfectant was introduced in 1889 by Dr. Gustav Raupenstrauch to help end a cholera epidemic in Germany. The original formulation of Lysol contained cresols. This formulation may still be available commercially in some parts of the world. Formulations containing chlorophenal are still available in the United Kingdom.
In 1911, poisoning by drinking Lysol was the most common means of suicide in Australia and New York.