Pieces of the Past

Toy boat, 19th century.

 

This toy boat was found under the floor of a riverside villa in Oxford Terrace.

 

There were several other children's artefacts under the floor of this particular house, including cups and plates with letters of the alphabet printed on them. With so much of the European material we find being mass produced, the homemade nature of the boat resonated with me.

 

The fact that someone took the time to make this for a/their child, maybe to float in the nearby Avon River, took me back to toys my parents made me, and to toys I made for my daughter.

 

Peter Mitchell, 2015.

Is an archaeologist who specialises in buildings archaeology, puns, and coffee.