Scour the floor near most offices and there’ll be plenty of signs of the modern worker’s addiction to tobacco.
But archaeologists investigating a site in Bath have found evidence of the grip on life of smoking two centuries ago.
A dig at a city centre car park has unearthed clay smoking pipes.
The pipes were discovered by specialists exploring the area under the Sawclose car park.
They date back to the 19th century, when there was a factory at the site.
Senior project officer for Cotswold Archaeology Chiz Harward said: “We found quite a few clay pipes while digging. Pipes were the principal way of smoking tobacco until the late 19th century when cigarettes came in.
“Some of the bowls are still intact, which is good as clay pipes are very fragile.”
The dig is being carried out ahead of possible redevelopment in the area and the private car park behind the public spaces has been closed while the work takes place.
Meanwhile, an open day was held at the scene of a dig carried out by the Bath and Camerton Archaeological Society at Laverton near Norton St Philip.
The group is excavating a medieval building at Upper Row Farm as part of the Homefield Project, which aims to answer specific questions about settlement in the area.
The event was part of the National Festival of Archaeology, which will also see two free events at the Museum of Bath at Work this Saturday.
There will be a walking tour of the working heritage of Bathampton, presented by director of the museum Stuart Burroughs, starting at 11am from the car park of the Bathampton Mill restaurant. It will feature the Kennet and Avon Canal, and the site of the village’s Plasticine factory.
The second event is a discussion called Industrial Heritage at Risk: Bath and Beyond, led by Keith Falconer from English Heritage.
It starts at 2pm at the Julian Road museum, with a light lunch available from 1pm.
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