Descriptions

This unusual piece of pottery bears the name of the ‘City of Exeter Asylum’. The Asylum was built by the Exeter Corporation as a place to treat and care for those with mental illnesses. It opened in 1886 and was closed in 1987. When the area was redeveloped, largely for housing and a retail park, a full archaeological survey was carried out. Some of the most significant finds were prehistoric but this potsherd also turned up.

This sherd forms part of a feeding cup, which would have been used to give food and nourishment to patients before the invention of modern medical technology, like intravenous drips.


This object is not on display.