Vines Park, Droitwich Spa, site of the Roman brine springs · Wikimedia Commons

Droitwich Salt Works

Salinae

SalinaBritannia · Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, EnglandBuilt 100 BCE

About

Brine springs gave this Worcestershire town its Roman name outright, Salinae, and a fort at nearby Dodderhill went up largely to guard the trade. Waterlogged ground preserved wooden troughs, hearths, and mountains of briquetage, the crude fired-clay containers workers used to dry and ship the salt. Production here ran unbroken from the Iron Age through the Roman occupation and on into the Middle Ages. A villa overlooking the springs likely housed the official who oversaw the whole operation.

What happened here

Shallow pans are cut into the flats behind a beach or a lagoon and filled at high tide through a gate. The water is walked through a sequence of pans, each shallower and saltier than the last, and the sun does the rest over the summer. In late season the crust is raked into ridges, left to drain, then carried off in baskets. The work is hot, glaring and hard on the feet, and it is done by contracted labour on a short season. Salt preserves fish and meat, cures hides and pays part of the state's revenue, so the pans are regulated and often leased from the state. A salina needs sun, wind and a tide, and it shuts down entirely when it rains.