COUNTY archaeologists are jubilant following a discovery that proves the existence of a long-forgotten industry in Worcester.

A mediaeval tile-making factory has been found beneath the former Kays building at 9-10 The Tything.

The site, including a well-preserved kiln in which the clay tiles were baked, is tangible evidence of the tile-making industry in the Faithful City that archaeologists knew about but had never actually seen.

Hal Dalwood, from Worcestershire Archaeological Service, said it was one of the most exciting finds in the city for years and that the kiln was "complete but fragile".

"We knew there was a thriving tile industry in Worcester from the 13th Century or so, and it's very satisfying to find one of the places where they were actually making them.

"It's a really good discovery. I was very excited when I saw it," said Mr Dalwood.

The kiln, which is made of flat roof tiles, is a box-like structure about 9ft square.

It was built half below ground to make it more efficient when heated up, and it is the below-ground portion that is so well preserved.

Exploratory digging started about a month ago, before any development of the former office building took place.

Unfortunately, construction of the 1930s building destroyed a lot of the tile-making site.

"We had to break the concrete floor inside the building," said Mr Dalwood.

"We had to build some trenches. It's a big and open area under the floor, half a metre down.

"There are a lot of fragments of tiles around the kiln, both roof and floor tiles. You can build up quite a clear picture of what went on here."

Tile-making started in Worcester as early as 1280, but this kiln seemed to date from the 15th Century, he said.

From 1464 onwards, Worcester's citizens were required by a local by-law to make their roofs out of tiles, rather than thatch, following four serious fires in the city.

Clay was brought from nearby streams and the River Severn for the tiles, which were made in wooden moulds and laid out to dry before being fired in the kiln.