ACID
ISSUE 12 JANUARY 2015
Archaeology and Conservation in Derbyshire
Goodbye Dolly: Remembering World War One in Derbyshire
Inside:
The Dovedale hoard Julian Richards profile Laser scanning the Derwent Mills
2015 | ACID
Plus: A guide to the county’s latest planning applications involving archaeology
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View from the chair
Foreword:
ACID Archaeology and Conservation in Derbyshire Editor: Roly Smith, 33 Park Road, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1AX Tel: 01629 812034; email: roly.smith@btconnect.com For further information (or more copies) please email Sarah Whiteley at: sarah.whiteley@peakdistrict.gov.uk
Printed by: Buxton Press www.buxtonpress.com The Committee wishes to thank our sponsors, Derbyshire County Council and the Peak District National Park Authority, who enable this publication to be made freely available. Derbyshire Archaeology Advisory Committee Buxton Museum Creswell Crags Heritage Trust Derbyshire Archaeological Society Derbyshire County Council Derby Museums Service English Heritage (East Midlands) Hunter Archaeological Society Manchester University Archaeology Department Nottingham University Peak District Mines Historical Society Peak District National Park Authority Portable Antiquities Scheme Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust Sheffield University Archaeology Department South Derbyshire District Council
ACID
ISSUE 12 JANUARY 2015
Archaeology and Conservation in Derbyshire
Remembering World War One in Derbyshire
Inside:
The Dovedale hoard Julian Richards profile Laser scanning the Derwent Mills
2015 | ACID
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Cover picture: This poignant photograph from the Matlock area dating from the First World War has echoes of the popular song Goodbye Dolly Gray. It shows a young lady (left) with a borrowed cap, tunic and rifle standing beside her brother or boyfriend from the Sherwood Foresters, who appears to be going off to war. It was submitted as part of the Derbyshire Lives through the First World War project (see centre spread, p18-19)
The views expressed in the pages of this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or publishers. No responsibility will be accepted for any comments made by contributors or interviewees. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers.
ACID | 2015
It’s appropriate that as 2014 was the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, our cover story is about a county-wide project to involve communities in documenting the effects of the war on people’s lives and their towns and villages. Some surprising facts have emerged, such as the Derwent Valley Mills provided camouflage netting and underwear for the forces, and that Derbyshire lead was in demand for bullets. For much our past, however, resources such as photographs, audio recordings and memories are not available and archaeological work in the field and built environment, along with research in archives and museum collections, comprise the principle sources. Archaeology today is increasingly using cutting-edge digital technology to survey and understand ‘the big picture’; such as in the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site Young Roots Project and in Building 17 at Cromford Mill, as well as to model climate change threats. Nonetheless, traditional methods of surveying are still proving their worth, as in the search for the Totley Towers, in recording Carl Wark and in the building appraisal at Alstonefield. Excavation today is seen as a final option and best targeted to answer specific questions; such as at Derby, Castleton and Fin Cop or in Reynard’s Cave in Dovedale, following the accidental discovery of a Late Iron Age coin hoard. Despite very careful work, however, excavation never provides all of the answers, and part of the attraction of archaeology is in the speculation of what might have happened. Ultimately however, the aim of archaeology is to tell stories about what could have happened in the past for all to ‘read’. The digital trails for Arbor Low are an experiment in new methods of storytelling, while the extract from Bill Bevan’s book gives us a walking guide to pagan Saxon traces visible in the landscape around Bradbourne. The Creswell Crags exhibition of Pin Hole Man used an approach which challenged the viewer to think about alternative interpretations.
Plus: A guide to the county’s latest planning applications involving archaeology
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elcome to the twelfth edition of our magazine about archaeology and conservation in Derbyshire and the Peak District, which features highlights from the past year.
Designed by: Phil Cunningham www.creative-magazine-designer.co.uk
Goodbye Dolly:
Telling stories for all to read
In Roly’s profile, Julian Richards exemplifies an archaeologist keen to involve people, especially the young, in exploring and understanding their heritage. Museum curator Helen Harman, is one who admits to having found him inspiring. Since her interview with Roly, she has moved back to her native Wales and we wish her well in her new job. Museums Sheffield plan to have a new Curator of Archaeology in post early in 2015. In 2014, support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has underpinned the majority of the projects described here and the future implementation of two major projects planned for Buxton and Sheffield museums is also dependent on HLF approval. On April 1 2015, English Heritage will split into two bodies; a new charity, retaining the name English Heritage, to run the National Collection of historic properties; and a newly-named public body, Historic England, to offer expert advice and support to stakeholders, which include the local authorities.
ick Pauline Besw Chair of the Derbyshire Archaeological Advisory Committee
Contents
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2 Foreword By Pauline Beswick, chair of the Derbyshire Archaeological Advisory Committee
4 The hoard in the Kitchen Roly Smith describes the find of a rare hoard of coins in a Dovedale cave 6 Trouble at t’mill Preparing Mill 17 for its opening as the gateway to the Derwent Valley Mills WHS, by Sarah McLeod of The Arkwright Society 8 Technology then and now David Strange-Walker of Trent & Peak Archaeology explains an exciting new project in the World Heritage Site
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14 Meet the Ancestors presenter A profile of Julian Richards, president of the Derbyshire Archaeological Society, by Roly Smith
24 Climate change and the Derwent Valley How climate change may affect the Derwent Valley Mills WHS, by Andy Howard, David Knight and Steven Malone
16 Mysteries of Arbor Low revealed Joe Perry, former Assistant Collections Officer at Buxton Museum, describes a new digital trail around Arbor Low
26 The enigma of Carl Wark Anna Badcock of ArcHeritage describes the latest attempt to classify the mysterious hillfort of Carl Wark
18 Cover story: ‘Total War’ comes to Derbyshire Project Officer Glynn Wilton describes the significant role played by Derbyshire during the First World War
10 The search for the Totley Towers Stella McGuire and Stuart Nunn of the Eastern Moors Partnership describe their search for railway tunnel sighting towers on Totley Moor
20 A day in the life of … a museum curator Helen Harman, former curator of archaeology at Weston Park Museum, Sheffield
12 At the crossroads Flood defence work at Little Chester, Derby, gave Ian Miller of Oxford Archaeology North the chance to reinvestigate the Roman fort
22 Saxon stones and Pagan practices Bill Bevan takes us on a walk through the Christian and pagan Anglo-Saxon Peak District
27 Respecting the past Sarah Whiteley of the Peak District National Park Authority, explains the benefits of building appraisals 28 Sherds News from around the county 32 Bookshelf Roly Smith reviews the latest publications 33 Guide to the latest planning applications 36 Picture the Past Ilam Cross 2015 | ACID
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The hoard in the Kitchen Editor ROLY SMITH describes a ‘once in a lifetime’ find of a rare hoard of coins from the depths of a Dovedale cave
Reynard’s cave… has never had justice done to it, either as a geological feature or as a promising site for the antiquarian. The fine natural archway is a wonderful sight, while the hoard of Roman coins accidentally discovered gives a hint of what may await systematic excavation. – George H. Wilson, Some Caves and Crags of Peakland, 1927
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hese prophetic words were written 88 years ago by a Bakewell minister who was one of the earliest antiquarian explorers of Peak District caves. Now, at long last, Reynard’s Cave – or at least the adjacent Reynard’s Kitchen Cave – has given up its secrets. A hoard of late Iron Age and pre-Conquest Roman coins discovered there last year has been described as “a once in a lifetime find,” and the most significant of its kind in Britain. National Trust archaeologist Rachael Hall explained: “We found a hoard of a total of 26 coins, including 20 from the Late Iron Age and three Roman Republican coins, which pre-date the invasion of Britain in AD 43.
Rachael said they also found a decorated Roman Aesicatype brooch dating from the mid-first century AD. It has a central rib and fantail foot, decorated with incised grooves to form a ‘V’ shape. The type is named after Aesica, a fort on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, where brooches of this type were part a hoard that was found in 1894. Rachael added: “The coins would suggest a serious amount of wealth and power for the individual who owned them. Coins were used as a symbol of power and status during the Late Iron Age, rather than for buying and selling staple foods and supplies as we use them today. “Coins hoards of this era in Britain have been found in fields and other locations but, as far as we know, never in a cave, which raises some interesting questions.” Among those questions is whether it was simply an individual hiding his most valuable possessions for safe keeping, or maybe speculating in the hope that their value would increase in the future – a bit like a 2,000-year-old Iron Age ISA.
“The Late Iron Age coins, six of which were gold alloy and 14 silver, have been attributed to the Corieltavi tribe (example left), which is more usually associated with areas further east in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, so it was interesting to find them here in Derbyshire.” 4
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The dig underway
Cleaning the coins
“Through projects like the Dovedale excavation, archaeology can help former service personnel to address their ailments and help in their recovery.” Joanne Richardson was part of the Operation Nightingale excavation team, having previously spent 10 years in the Army. She said: “This was the first archaeological excavation I’ve ever taken part in – and it was brilliant. “I was working in the dark at the back of the cave, and I was the first person to Sorting the coins find a silver coin. It was so exciting and really helped to lift our spirits after several fruitless days of hard graft. My first dig and this is what I found!
“The situation of the cave can’t be ignored either,” added Rachael. “Could it have been a sacred place to Late Iron Age people? Could the coins have been left as an offering? And if the cave was a sacred place, could that have made it a safe site which would ensure that a person’s valuables were protected?” Ian Leins, curator of Iron Age and Roman coins at the British Museum, commented: “Although this is a much smaller hoard than the similar finds made at Hallaton in Leicestershire in 2000, it has been declared treasure. It is an exciting discovery, given the puzzling location in a cave and the fact that it lies beyond the main circulation area of the coinage.” The find was initially made by a local climber who was sheltering in the cave during a heavy rainstorm. He happened to have a small pin-point metal detector in his rucksack and, waiting for the storm to pass, he absentmindedly scanned the area near where he was sitting, and found the first of the coins. The anonymous finder then did exactly the right thing by reporting the finds to the Derbyshire Portable Antiquities Officer and the site owners, the National Trust. Both he and the Trust have disclaimed any right to a reward, preferring to ensure the finds were made accessible for public viewing. The Trust worked on the dig with the University of Leicester Archaeology Service and, for the first time, the Defence Archaeology Group’s Operation Nightingale, which provides recuperation through field archaeology for service personnel injured in the conflicts in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Operation Nightingale’s Sergeant Diarmaid Walshe said: “Archaeology is a discipline that is perfect for service personnel, given the inherent skills of the soldier – an appreciation of landscape, topography and deposits in the ground.
“The experience working alongside archaeologists and other veterans was inspiring. It gave me a new interest in life and helped me adapt to the civilian environment.” Rachael added: “It’s fantastic that we were able to join with Operation Nightingale and other organisations and individuals to carry out the excavation and to learn more. “We may never know why Discussing the find in the cave the coins were buried here, but this discovery places a new dot on the map for Late Iron Age Derbyshire. It also adds a new layer to what we are discovering about Late Iron Age activity, especially that of the Corieltavi. “We hope it generates a lively debate and we invite people to tell us their thoughts on the discovery.” The coins have been cleaned by conservation specialists at the British Museum and University College London, and went on permanent display at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery last year.
Who was Reynard? Reynard’s Cave and Reynard’s Kitchen Cave are thought to have been named either after a local brigand who made the cave his refuge, or its use by foxes as a den. They lie 360 feet up on the eastern side of the steep-sided limestone gorge cut by the River Dove. To climb up to the cave, you pass beneath the magnificent Reynard’s Arch, a spectacular 20-foot high natural bridge, which would once have been part of the cave. Reynard’s Kitchen Cave is known to have been used at various times in the past 10,000 years. An earlier excavation revealed prehistoric flints, animal bones, pieces of pottery and other evidence of occupation. A series of 17th century witch marks was also found on the cave walls, carved to ward off evil spirits. The cave itself measures about 46ft (14m) long by 16 feet (5m) wide at the entrance, down to only about a yard wide at the back. The views from the cave are spectacular, through the natural arch and up to Air Cottage on the opposite bank.
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Trouble at t’mill Preparing Building 17 for its grand opening SARAH McLEOD, Chief Executive of The Arkwright Society, describes the difficulties encountered converting a former mill building into a gateway to the Derwent Mills WHS
Richard Hill of Bonsers points out a detail of the restoration
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he restoration of Building 17 is the first and key stage in the Arkwright Society’s exciting £50 million regeneration of Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mills. The largest mill building on the 608,000 sq ft site, the Grade I listed Building 17 is being carefully converted into the northern gateway for visitors to the UNESCO Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, with an opening planned for early 2015. While the ground floor will contain the gateway, the four upper floors of the building will offer workspace for new and expanding businesses. The project has received funding from a variety of sources, including the European Regional Development Fund and a major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It will provide the first-ever visitor gateway to the 15-milelong World Heritage Site, and will ensure that it can fulfil its potential by providing a much-needed focal point , enabling visitors to find out what there is to see and do at each of the different sites. While stunning in appearance and historically important, Building 17 has posed its own set of unique challenges to the regeneration team. Aside from the mill sitting empty and in disrepair for more than 30 years and being on the English Heritage ‘at risk’ register, for decades it was used for the production of colour pigments for paints and dyes. Even though production ceased in 1979, the years of use had seriously contaminated the fabric of the building, making it unfit for occupation. Mill 17 from the weir
Firstly the chemical imprint left on Building 17 from the dye works, including remnants of lead and chromium VI, had to be investigated. An archaeological watching brief, one of a number of conditions placed on the listed building consents and planning permissions for Building 17, was carried out. The brief involved observation and investigation to record archaeological remains during ground works within the area. The findings were limited to residual remains from previous constructions within the foundations. These included dividing walls, an historic stone floor, and a brick culvert, showing the progression and evolution of the building. With the brief completed, our restorers, Bonsers Restoration commissioned Prof Belinda Colston,Director of the Historic and Ancient Materials Research Group at the University of Lincoln, to survey and analyse the nature and extent of the contamination. Working with Dr. David Watt from Hutton and Rostron, Bonsers examined the
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Sarah McLeod conducts a tour of the reconstructed mill
effect of the contamination on the building and devised a viable solution to the contamination that would allow reoccupation of the building. The survey found that the chemicals had caused surface breakdown of structural timbers and adjoining joists and floorboards, and the stonework and historic plaster in specific areas in the building had absorbed the contamination. Given the absorption into the fabric of the building, sufficient decontamination to allow reoccupation would be unsuccessful. Following a thorough examination of all the trials and investigations it was decided that the most suitable methodology for dealing with the decontamination would be encapsulation. All openings to the building were initially sealed with 1000-gauge fire-retardant polythene to prevent the entry of contamination during the works, and then further enhanced with sealed sections within each floor level to prevent cross contamination between “clean” and “dirty” areas as the encapsulation works proceeded. This system of encapsulation requires a primary decontamination to the building, removal of all loose surface materials, cutting back horse hair in the historic plaster and lifting all wearing surfaces to carry out rigorous and thorough vacuuming of every surface. Once completed, floors are relaid combining intermediate layers of membrane and timber, and covered with a floating floor.
intumescent seal was selected, which provides both the required encapsulation and has inherent flexibility. Throughout the encapsulation, Bonsers have had to try, wherever possible, to keep as much of the original as possible to satisfy the conditions for the works being approved by English Heritage and the local planning authority, and to ensure that the remaining materials have the integrity for further use. Fortunately, aside from the timber, the chemicals had no structural impact on the remainder of the construction materials used in the building. All waste materials from the building were deemed contaminated and had to be disposed of through either contaminated landfill or incineration. It has been a valuable experience, and we are delighted that with the encapsulation works completed Building 17 is now safe and ready for its fit-out. To follow the restoration, please visit the project at: www.arkwrightsociety.org.uk The restored interior of Mill 17
The structural ceiling to the fourth floor was enhanced, insulated and covered with a breathable membrane to which will be applied a traditional lath-and-plaster ceiling. The inherent qualities of lime act to neutralise the contamination and seal the contamination to the face of the existing walls. Much of the remaining structural timbers were to remain visible and would therefore require an alternate encapsulation technique. Again through detailed trials, an 2015 | ACID
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Laser scanning at Darley Schoolroom
Technology Then and Now
The project was developed by its six principal partners: Derbyshire County Council’s Environmental Studies Service; the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site; Trent & Peak Archaeology; Nottingham Trent University; Highfields School, Matlock and Belper School. The nature of the Young Roots strand is that the projects should be driven by the young people involved, so we attempted to create a framework within which the students could develop their own project.
DAVID STRANGE-WALKER of Trent & Peak Archaeology explains an exciting new project undertaken by young people in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site
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he Technology Then, Technology Now Heritage Lottery-funded Young Roots project was designed to engage young people growing up in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, and to help them understand more about why the area is so important. We also hoped to generate data and products that would be useful for the conservation and management of the WHS. Using cutting-edge digital technology to record and visualise the sites would also give the participating students an opportunity to learn some new and transferrable skills, such as laser scanning, photogrammetry, 3D modelling, 3D printing, game engines, animation and video editing.
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A laser-scan rendering of Leawood Pumphouse
From a wide list of possible candidates the students selected seven sites within the WHS, each with its own logistic or interpretative challenge. The selected sites were:• The ‘Bear Pit’ water management system at Cromford Mill • Arkwright’s demolished Second Mill at Cromford • Leawood Pumphouse on the Cromford Canal • The basement of Strutt’s North Mill, Belper • The Long Row housing at Belper • The Schoolroom and third floor of Darley Abbey Mill From the outset the students considered why these sites were so little-known or poorly understood, and they sought ways to use new technology to better explain and publicise their chosen sites. The technologies chosen by the team were often cuttingedge and in some cases quite experimental. They ranged from the extremely expensive (terrestrial laser scanning) to the very cheap (structure from motion photogrammetry), and from the commonplace (video editing) to the esoteric (virtual environment creation). Laser scanning was selected by students at Darley Abbey Mill to record not only the empty machine floor but to highlight the wear pattern in the floor caused by decades of repetitive mill work around fixed machines. Photogrammetry was selected to rapidly record the complex and hazardous ‘Bear Pit’ at Cromford that continues to channel large amounts of fast-flowing water from the Cromford Sough to the Greyhound Pond. At Arkwright’s Second Mill, traditional measurements recorded with a hand tape were fed into 3D Studio Max and the Unreal Development Kit game engine to virtually
rebuild the demolished mill. At Leawood Pumphouse, dozens of individual laser scans of the interior and exterior of the building were combined and rendered to create a single millimetre-accurate point cloud, which was then simplified and 3D-printed to a solid plastic scale model.
3D-printing a scale model of Leawood Pumphouse
At Belper North Mill, the basement level was recorded and reconstructed in a game engine to create an explorable environment complete with moving waterwheel and machines. And at Long Row, laser scans of the interior and exterior of the workers’ housing allowed the students to create a historical ‘fly through’ of the entire street. The quality of the work produced to date by the students has been extremely high, and it is hoped that some of this work will be used within the World Heritage Site’s attractions to assist with explanation and interpretation. The raw surveys will also become part of the WHS’s baseline data archive, assisting the preservation and conservation of these important buildings for the next generation and beyond.
Darley Abbey Mills: the working floor is coloured by elevation, showing worn paths around the machines in red
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The search for the Totley Towers
Rickard’s drawing of a Totley Tunnel sighting tower
Manchester-Sheffield line, at the time of its opening in 1893, the second longest railway tunnel in Britain. Tunnel engineer Percy Rickard described them as built of brickwork and capped with stone. A flat cast-iron plate was let into the cap, and the survey instrument was set up on this. The towers would have been of varying heights, according to need. The drawing (opposite page) shows a simplified section through the tunnel, and a line of sighting points above it, not all of them incorporating a tower. There were 11 sighting points in all, including the ‘terminal’ towers at Sir William Hill and Bradway, and Rickard’s original article shows the complete west-east section.
How they might have looked: a sighting tower at Carlesmoor in Yorkshire
STELLA McGUIRE and STUART NUNN, volunteers with the Eastern Moors Partnership, describe their search for missing railway tunnel sighting towers on Totley Moor
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ne hundred and twenty years ago, several tall brick towers stood in a line across Totley Moor, from Sir William Hill above Grindleford to Bradway in the east. Towers of similar design which still exist at Carlesmoor, North Yorkshire, suggest they were a striking sight. The Totley ‘observatories’, or sighting towers, were built in the late 1880s to enable surveyors to set out the line of the 3½-mile Totley Tunnel on the Midland Railway’s
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Our interest in these sighting points was sparked by work as volunteer archaeology monitors for the Eastern Moors Partnership, a land management partnership between the National Trust and RSPB. We realised that the brick ruin at SK 27911 79502, just east of the well-known ventilation shaft on Totley Moor, could not be one of the observatories as is sometimes supposed, as it stands well off the line of the tunnel, and its structure does not conform with Rickard’s towers. It may have been built to store explosives. About 44 yards (40m) south-west, on the line of the tunnel, an ‘old observatory’ is marked on the OS 1898 (2nd edition) map at SK 27891 79464. At this spot are mortared bricks, and a small amount of dressed gritstone, sitting just above the modern ground surface. It seems likely that these are the remains of Rickard’s ‘Summit observatory’. We then tried to locate the ‘No 1 East’ observatory, which Rickard’s plan suggests must have been on Wimble Holme Hill. Although this tower is not marked on late 19th century OS maps, GHB Ward of the Sheffield Clarion Ramblers, writing in 1924/1925, records seeing both the Wimble Holme Hill and Summit towers. Describing a walk along Moss Road, he says: “We continue westwardly, and map-marked Wimble Holme Hill – with
a ruined survey tower made for the (1893) Grindleford tunnel – is on our right.” On the same walk, he then records seeing “another brick observatory”, which, from the context, must be the Summit tower. Using the database established by ArcHeritage in their survey of the Eastern Moors (May and Badcock, 2011), we found at SK 28705 79661, on Wimble Holme Hill, the remains of a brick structure, on the line of the tunnel. This is recorded as a possible chimney base, but, having established a grid reference from Rickard’s plan, we suggest that these are the footings of ‘Observatory No 1 East’. With appropriate permission, small-scale excavation here and at the site of the possible Summit observatory could clarify whether these were sighting towers – although removal of the overlying turf might speed up the destruction of what remains. Flushed with (tentative) triumph, we attempted to find other tower sites. On Rickard’s plan, we noticed that, at some sighting points, no tower symbol is shown and it seems likely that here, there was no need to raise the survey instrument to any great height. We have been able to investigate three of these locations: No 4 West, at SK 2399 7846, on the western edge of the Grindleford to Hathersage road; No 1 West, just north of Wooden Pole, at SK 2678 7919; and No 2 East, on the eastern edge of Bole Hill, at SK 2910 7975. (All 8-figure grid references are estimated from Rickard’s plan.) We have not located any trace of bases for survey instruments at these points, and these were probably smaller, less durable, structures. Our search for the rest of the sighting towers had mixed success, although we found physical or map evidence for some of them. Working from the west, the 1898 OS map shows the Sir William Hill terminal as an ‘old observatory’ at SK 23023 78294, west of Newfoundland Nursery. With the kind permission of the landowner, we established that no brickwork is visible here. There appears to have been surface stone-getting in this field, and, at the observatory location marked on the map, there is a mound of partly turf-covered loose stone, including a few dressed blocks, and a very small amount of in situ masonry. It’s possible – though not proven – that these are the remains of the sighting tower, built from the stone available in this field rather than from brick.
A longitudinal cross section of the Totley Tunnel showing sighting points, adapted from a drawing by tunnel engineer Percy Rickard
East on Wimble Holme Hill; and No 2 East (on the edge of Bole Hill). Rickard shows the No 3 East tower at SK 2978 7992, just west of an extant ventilation shaft, on private land north of the Cricket Inn. No tower is now visible, and aerial photographs do not show any surface remains. No 4 East was directly above the tunnel mouth at the Totley end, and it seems safe to assume that the low base for the survey instrument was destroyed when final work on the tunnel exit was undertaken. Finally, the 1923 OS map shows the eastern terminal as an ‘old observatory’ in fields at SK 33253 80751, Lower Bradway. This spot now lies in a back garden in Elwood Road, and any remains of the observatory were presumably removed when this street was built in the 1950s. The skill of those who set out the line was so great that when the men working from west and east finally met, the difference between the centre lines of the two tunnels was a mere 4½ inches (11.4cms ) horizontally and 2¼ inches (5.7cms) vertically. Sadly, Percy Rickard did not live to see the work completed. In 1893, he died of typhoid fever (a disease which afflicted many tunnel workers) at Totley, aged only 34. We would like to thank Alan Darlington for providing the drawings, Mr Davies for permission to access his land, Rachael Hall for advice and Richard Carr, Melissa Peet and Paul Smith for assistance with locating features.
We have estimated a location for No 3 West, at SK 2496 7877, on the edge of the Grindleford station yard, within scrubland, but at the time of going to press, have not gained access to this. The 1898 OS map shows an un-named structure at the estimated site of No 2 West, at the eastern edge of Yarncliff Wood, high above the western tunnel exit. Here, at SK 25441 78873, among dense brambles, we found broken brick and a dressed stone slab, which may be the remains of the sighting tower. Working eastwards, we have already described No 1 West (close to Wooden Pole); the Summit observatory; No 1
Possible sighting tower footings on Wimble Holme Hill.
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At the crossroads Planned flood defence work at Little Chester, Derby, gave archaeologists the chance to reinvestigate the Roman fort, as IAN MILLER of Oxford Archaeology North explains
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he Environment Agency in partnership with Derby City Council is planning to develop new flood defences along the River Derwent as it flows through Little Chester. Situated a short distance to the north-east of Derby city centre, Little Chester is well-known as the site of Derventio, the site of a Roman fort established in cAD 80, and an associated large civilian settlement. Occupying a strategic location at an important crossing point of the River Derwent, the fort also lay at the junction of several Roman roads, including Ryknield Street. In order to understand the archaeological risks associated with the scheme, the EA commissioned Oxford Archaeology North to undertake an evaluation of Parker’s Piece and Darley Playing Fields, situated immediately to
Trench 12 from above
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the south and north of the Roman fort respectively. Six trenches were excavated across Parker’s Piece, and another nine trenches across Darley Playing Fields. The remains of defensive ditches associated with the Roman fort were revealed in the northern part of Parker’s Piece, together with an isolated inhumation burial that lay immediately below the modern topsoil. A firm date for this burial was not established, although it is likely to have been either late Roman or early medieval. The trenches placed across Darley Playing Fields revealed the well-preserved remains of a substantial metalled surface, probably representing Ryknield Street. Considerable elements of the Roman civilian settlement were discovered adjacent to the road, with good evidence for craft-working or industrial activity that included secondary ironworking and possibly the production of querns and/or larger grindstones. Several spreads of rubble may have derived from collapsed stone buildings, some of which appeared to have metalled surfacing in their interior. Several pits that were cut through the metalled surfaces represented late Roman activity, while a series of small ditches revealed along the eastern side of Darley Fields formed elements of a field system marking the edge of the Roman settlement.
The majority of the pottery assemblage dated to the later 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, and was dominated by coarsewares, with locally-produced Derbyshire ware prominent. Other ceramic material included fragments of keyed box flue tiles, tegula roof tiles, and two fragments of opus signinum, a kind of reinforced concrete tile used to line and waterproof features such as baths. These suggest there might be high status buildings in the vicinity.
The ditch closest to the fort had a V-shaped profile, measured 7.45m wide at its top, and had a maximum depth of 2.30m. The fill of this ditch contained fragments of pottery with a date range spanning the late 1st to 3rd century. The central and outer ditches had evidently been re-cut on several occasions, and were ultimately remodelled to create a single large ditch prior to the 3rd century, although the recovery of a coin of Crispus, dated AD 317-26, suggests that the ditch was still open in the 4th century.
Several copper-alloy items were also recovered, including a bow-and-fantail brooch of a late 3rd to 4th century date, and three bow brooches that are most likely to be later 1st or 2nd century. In addition, a wellpreserved silver denarius was identified as an issue of Julia Mamaea, dated AD 222-35. In order to further inform the design proposals for the new flood defences, the EA commissioned three evaluation trenches on the site of the scheduled Roman fort. The evaluation was intended to establish the precise alignment of the fort’s defensive ditches. The remains of a three-metre wide, flat-bottomed ditch exposed in the trench to the west of the fort were not characteristic of a Roman defensive feature. The two trenches placed adjacent to the north-eastern corner of the fort, however, revealed a series of three ditches of typical Roman military form. Ditches exposed in Trench 18 looking west
Trench 13, showing surfaces and millstones
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Profile
Meet the ancestors presenter JULIAN RICHARDS, president of the Derbyshire Archaeology Society, is probably best-known as the presenter of the BBC2 series Meet the Ancestors. But as editor ROLY SMITH discovered, he’s never lost his enthusiasm for sharing his passion for the past
Just plain Mr Julian Richards
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chance enquiry about working in the art department at Nottingham’s Castle Museum fortuitously led Julian Richards into a 40-year career as one of Britain’s most popular TV archaeologists. “I’d left school with rubbish A-Levels and no place at university,” recalled Julian “But I did the history of art as an extra A-Level, and knew the Keeper of Art at the museum simply because my grandfather had been a local artist.
“I was told there were no jobs in the museum, but that an excavation was just starting on the Saxon town in the Lacemarket, and I might just get a job there. I went down and there was one man – the city archaeologist Charlie Young – in a combat jacket and a JCB, and he gave me a job.” He instantly realised that this was the life for him. “It was practical, it was exciting, and I know it sounds like a cliché, but it brought the past to life,” said Julian, in that familiar, smiling voice. He was born in 1951 in Nottingham, where like many others, his father worked at the Player’s tobacco factory. Julian won a scholarship to Nottingham Boys’ High School, but soon discovered he had an acute aversion for the school’s twin targets of discipline and rugby. “I hated it,” he says. “My schooldays were most definitely not the happiest days of my life.”
Julian speaks on the Stonehenge project at the British Museum
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After two years digging on sites in Nottingham, interspersed with spells at Player’s and a series of odd jobs, Julian finally managed to get a place at Reading University. Here, thanks to the inspirational Richard Bradley, he discovered the excitement of prehistory and the joys of solitary fieldwork. After narrowly missing a first class degree, in 1975 Julian finally embarked on a career as a professional archaeologist.
Profile His first job was with the Berkshire Archaeological Unit, before moving to Salisbury in 1980 to work for the newly-created Wessex Archaeology, spending the next decade running the Stonehenge Environs Project, a detailed study of his favourite prehistoric site and its surrounding landscape. “For a prehistorian this was a fantastic project,” he recalls. “Winters were spent fieldwalking and over four summers, excavations. The project taught me a huge amount, was enormous fun, and provided my first brush with the media, contributing to several programmes and later books about Stonehenge.” While he was with Wessex Archaeology Julian continued to teach, mainly for Bristol University Continuing Education which then was run by his friend, Time Team’s late presenter Mick Aston. Julian continues his interest in education and outreach programmes, and has worked in over 40 Wiltshire and Dorset schools in a “What’s under your School?” project for CBA Wessex. “I think this work is vitally important,” he says. “We must involve the younger generation and get them enthused about history and archaeology. We cover everything from buildings to lumps and bumps in fields, exploring and even carrying out real excavations. The response has been absolutely fantastic, especially among the non-academic, more creative, types.” Julian left Wessex Archaeology in 1991 to form AC Archaeology, a small Wiltshire-based independent commercial archaeology company, and after three years joined English Heritage on their Monuments Protection Programme (MPP) helping to protect monuments in Wiltshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It was while working on the MPP when an event happened that changed Julian’s life. He was asked to contribute to a programme in the BBC2 series Secrets of Lost Empires,
which involved an ambitious experiment to create a full-scale concrete replica of the tallest of the Stonehenge trilithons. It led to Julian and researcher Tania Linden developing a new idea that eventually became Meet the Ancestors. The first series of Ancestors was commissioned in the autumn of 1996 and it ran for seven years, followed by a five-part series Blood of the Vikings in 2000. Over 60 programmes in the series Mapping the Town followed on Radio 4 between 1999-2004, one featuring our very own Bill Bevan in a feature on the navvies’ village of Birchinlee in the Upper Derwent Valley. Julian’s latest TV project was Stories from the Dark Earth – Meet the Ancestors Revisited, four one-hour programmes shown on BBC4, which revisited some of the original Meet the Ancestors sites, seeing what’s happened over the last decade. In addition to his presidency of DAS, Julian’s extra-mural positions include being a patron to the Cromford Canal Trust. “I also enjoyed my recent involvement with the Limestone Journeys project at Creswell Crags (see ACID 2013),” he said. “It is a beautiful place with amazing archaeology, and I fully support its application for World Heritage Site status.” Although flattered to be addressed as ‘Dr Richards’ or even, on occasions, ‘Professor Richards’, Julian has never carried out any postgraduate work, being far too busy with practical archaeology and teaching. “It has been a great joy to have had a job for so long that I enjoy so much. How lucky that I ended up on that first dig so many years ago!” An admitted ‘petrolhead’ with a 1959 TR3a and a passion for historic motorsport, Julian lives in Shaftesbury with his wife Sue, formerly an archaeologist with Wessex Archaeology , and their 24-year-old son Barney, who is a mountain biking and canoeing instructor.
Julian (second from left) helps out with the pub dig at Elm Tree Inn at Elmton, during the Limestone Journeys project
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Mysteries of Arbor Low revealed JOE PERRY, former Assistant Collections Officer at Buxton Museum, describes a new digital trail around Arbor Low
Photograph of workers during Harold St. George Gray’s famous excavations of Arbor Low in 1901–1902.
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he Neolithic henge monument of Arbor Low sits proudly, slightly off the summit of a broad 1,230ft/375m limestone ridge, with spectacular views over the White Peak. The henge is usually a peaceful spot where it is easy to sit and while away the time, with only the sounds of sheep and skylarks for company. Such a place can seem at odds with the bustling pace of technological change in the 21st century. However, a combination of this ancient landscape and modern technology is opening up new ways of discovering and interpreting its past. Staff at Buxton Museum & Art Gallery have been out and about in the Peak District exploring its prehistoric monuments as part of Collections in the Landscape project (see ACID 2014). This project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, aims to bring more of the landscape into the museum, and A Bronze Age barbed-and-tanged arrowhead found near Arbor Low featured in the digital tour, now in the collection at Buxton Museum & Art Gallery
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more of the museum out into the landscape. To achieve this, the museum has been testing a series of digital trails designed for Smartphones and tablet computers. One such trail, The Mysterious Arbor Low, aims to connect visitors to the henge with museum collections and information. Visitors are helped to get around by a ‘Navigate by Map’ option, although experienced visitors also have the option of working through a list of tour stops, should they feel confident in their geography. The project has been fortunate to work with Dr John Barnatt, Senior Survey Archaeologist with the Peak District National Park Authority, on developing an audio tour for the site. At each tour stop, users hear commentary about the spot where they are standing and are presented with an image from the collections at Buxton or Sheffield Museums. Tour stops also include ‘Show Me More’ buttons, allowing you to find out more about the monuments around you and the museum artefacts associated with them. The tour begins at the car park to the site, exploring how Arbor Low is significant to both archaeological and spiritual communities. This includes a lantern slide depicting several robed figures, documenting a ceremony held at the henge by the ‘Bardic Circle of the Imperishable Sacred Land’ in June 1927 (opposite page top right).
Arbor Low in the sunshine
From here, the tour heads to the henge itself, where three stops explore the past, present and future of the monument. Finally, the tour extends out to Gib Hill barrow, where you can learn more about the activities of Thomas Bateman, one of the Peak District’s most prolific antiquarians in the first half of the 19th century. The development and testing of these tours has been a valuable part of the project. Audiences have reacted positively to the concept of using their Smartphone to engage with the landscape. However phone signals can be problematic in parts of the Peak District, so the aim is to incorporate pre-downloadable content in any future developments to the tour. The development phase of Collections in the Landscape is now complete, and the project is awaiting the outcome of its Stage 2 bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. During Stage 2, the museum intends to update and expand its network of mobile trails from April 2015. You can try The Mysterious Arbor Low for free, alongside other trails in Buxton and Dovedale, by visiting www. buxtonmuseumapps.com. Users should note that a mobile data connection is required to follow these trails in the landscape. Should you wish to travel from your armchair, the page works just as well on a desktop or laptop. Thanks are due to all the volunteers who gave their time during field testing and to Ken Smith, Cultural Heritage Manager of the Peak District National Park Authority, and Ian Parker-Heath of the Arbor Low Environs Project, for
giving the project team tours of the site. The help of John Barnatt was critical in providing the audio tour, as was the support of Museums Sheffield, who contributed images and content to the final tour. For more information Lantern slide showing members of the ‘Bardic Circle visit http://www. of the Imperishable Sacred Land’, robing up at Upper english-heritage. Oldhams Farm prior to a ceremony at Arbor Low in org.uk/daysout/ June 1927. properties/arbor-lowstone-circle-and-gib-hill-barrow/ How to get there and further information Arbor Low & Gib Hill are signposted off the A515 between Buxton and Ashbourne, on the minor road between Parsley Hay and Youlgrave. The site is managed by English Heritage. A £1 charge is requested per person to cross private land to the monument. Buxton Museum & Art Gallery in Terrace Road, Buxton, is open Tuesday to Friday: 9:30am to 5:30pm, Saturday: 9:30am to 5pm and Sundays and Bank Holidays from 18 April to 30 September 2015: 10.30am to 5pm. Website: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/buxtonmuseum
Volunteers on a field trip to Arbor Low, testing out the digital tour
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Cover story
‘Total War’ comes to Derbyshire
Project Officer GLYNN WILTON describes the significant role played by Derbyshire during the First World War
Thomas and Clara ‘Sissie’ Eley with their children
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he subject of the First World War will not be far away over the next few years, and it is a subject which raises some huge themes including:
• The globalisation of war • The use of weapons of mass destruction • The targeting of civilians and • The unprecedented cost in human life. For the first time, a war fought overseas had significant impact upon the civilian populations back home, and it was also the beginning of the concept of ‘total war’. The Derbyshire Lives Through the First World War project was devised by Derbyshire County Council to help communities examine the effects of
the Great War on their towns and villages, and to reveal the part played by Derbyshire people. The project, which was aided by an £84,600 Heritage Lottery Fund grant, aims to bring together all aspects of Derbyshire community’s wartime heritage, and to illustrate the significant part the county played in the Great War. It is perhaps unsurprising that lead production in the county increases at times of conflict. In the First World War, some of that lead probably stayed in the county, at the two firing range walls in the town of Belper. One of these is known to have been used for training recruits for the Great War and both date from well before 1914. Another such wall stands just off the Chapel Gate track near the village of Barber Booth in Edale.
The WW1 Tommy’s helmet (right) is thought to have been derived from the lead miners’ ‘Bradder Beaver’ (left)
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Cover story Lead production has another link to the War through the lead and tin miners’ hat, known in Derbyshire as the ‘Bradder’ hat after Bradwell, the village of its invention, which is thought to have been a model for the British Tommy’s tin helmet. The Derwent Valley Mills, now recognised as a World Heritage Site, produced camouflage netting and underwear for the soldiers. Chesterfield pottery turned out earthenware jugs for rum rations and later Middleton and Hopton quarries contributed over 120,000 headstones for war graves. A Wirksworth factory produced fuses for shells, children from Matlock Bath contributed conkers to what was ultimately a failed plan to find a substitute for maize in the production of explosives for shells. Plans were even made for potential evacuation routes across Derbyshire from the East Coast in the event of invasion. Bradbourne is a typical, peaceful Derbyshire village, surrounded by green fields and drystone walls. Out of a population of around 130, it contributed 18 men to the Great War, but at Bradbourne all of the men returned, creating a ‘Thankful Village’, so named by Arthur Mee in the 1937 Derbyshire volume of his King’s England guides to the counties of England. Sadly, in the neighbouring village of Brassington, 15 men failed to return from the war.
World War Hospital Scene, Ilkeston, c 1916
interpretation and exhibitions, guidance on where to find artists, writers and poets to enhance projects. We can supply training in accessing archives and hire out display cases so that artefacts and original documents can be displayed securely in exhibitions. Throughout the centenary project, we wish to promote the interest in community history and heritage that can be sustained beyond the period covered by the Great War. If you are planning an event and need any help, or can just let us know what you are doing, please contact Glynn Wilton, Project Officer, at glynn.wilton@derbyshire.gov.uk or phone 01629 533217.
Recruiting office, Hayfield, c1914
In Chesterfield, the unrest and ill-feeling around ‘enemy aliens’ – those with foreign surnames and ancestry – boiled over as a large mob attacked a butcher’s shop, the owner of which had lived there for 17 years. A victim of Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the German fighter ace known as the Red Baron, was born in Matlock, while close by in Middleton, von Richthofen’s cousin settled with her new husband, the author D H Lawrence.
These images are courtesy of Picture the Past, which is a not-for-profit website containing over 100,000 historical images covering the whole of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. It’s free to use so why not take a look at: www.picturethepast.org.uk
Late in the War, the Derby and District Independent Labour party called a peace meeting at Crich with the following prophetic notice: “Is it really necessary to go on? Are we by continuing the war, actually preparing for that world without war, which we all long to see? Are we not rather multiplying evil and planting the seeds of bitterness which can never bear the fruit of peace?” Here too a mob gathered and ‘ran them out of town’. The Derbyshire Lives project can support community groups and help in uncovering their own wartime heritage by giving advice on preparing funding bids, research
The group of ladies who were known as the ‘Darley Mill Strikers’ from Darley Abbey, knitting clothing for soldiers during the First World War
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A day in the life of... a museum curator
Meeting her ancestors For Helen Harman, former curator of archaeology at Weston Park Museum, Sheffield, it was Julian Richards (see profile, page 14) and his 1990s BBC TV series Meet the Ancestors which turned her towards a career in archaeology.
“I
’d trained as a nurse, a career which runs in our family,” explained 35-year-old Helen. She was born and brought up in the village of Sully, in the Vale of Glamorgan between Penarth and Barry, the site of a now disappeared small medieval castle. Visiting castles is still one of Helen’s off-duty passions, along with exploring hillforts. “It was watching Julian Richards and Meet the Ancestors which really inspired me to get into archaeology,” she explains. She completed her degree in the subject at the University of Wales, Newport, in 2006, and she’s never looked back. During her second year at uni, she worked as a volunteer
at Cyfartha Castle, near Merthyr Tydfil, the castellated Victorian mansion built by ironmaster William Crawshay which has been described as “the most impressive monument of the Industrial Iron Age in South Wales.” After spells as a documentary assistant at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and later as a collections assistant at the Roman Bath Museum in Bath, she applied for the job at Sheffield and, on her first-ever visit to the city for the interview, landed the job. Helen has since moved back to Wales. “There’s no such thing as a typical day,” explained Helen. “I deal with everything from enquiries from the public, to monitoring the collections and conservation at the off-site store in Darnell, deposition and research of the archaeological archives, planning new exhibitions and seeking out funding opportunities.” Helen is particularly excited by the first-round grant of almost £50,000 for the Heritage Lottery Fund project: “Weston Park: A Bright Future”. In its first stage, this will see the development of ideas for a new archaeology gallery alongside an upgrade of the current displays at Weston Park. If the plans for the re-development project are approved, the second stage of the funding process will see nearly £700,000 awarded for work to begin at the museum this year.
Helen Harman: meeting the ancestors
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A day in the life of... a museum curator
The Benty Grange helmet (left), plus a modern reconstruction (right) of how it might have looked (Museums Sheffield)
“We want to move away from the traditional, press-button IT-led vision of the interpretation of collections and into a more flexible and sustainable, hands-on approach,” explained Helen. More community engagement is another of Helen’s priorities, through running events in conjunction with the Young Archaeologists’ Club and groups that form part of Sheffield’s Community Heritage Forum. The regular Archaeology Identification Afternoons, during which the public can bring their own archaeological finds, coins or medals for identification and recording by the Finds Liaison Officer, Amy Downes, are another important feature which Helen is keen to see continue. Of course, Weston Park is home to probably the finest collection of Peak District archaeological finds,
thanks particularly to those of the pioneering Victorian archaeologist and antiquarian Thomas Bateman, of Middleton-by-Youlgrave. It includes pieces like the Anglo-Saxon Benty Grange helmet, described as “one of the most important AngloSaxon artefacts ever unearthed in this part of the country”, found by Bateman in 1848. The helmet was the first AngloSaxon helmet ever found in England, and only three others have been found since. But among Helen’s favourite pieces are the jet necklaces found in Bronze Age barrows in the Peak District such as Cow Low, near Buxton. “It still gives me a thrill to think that this would have been worn by people living there perhaps 4,000 years ago,” Helen said. “My dream would be to get into a time machine and go back to see how these people really lived… to meet the ancestors, in fact.”
A Bronze Age jet necklace from Cow Low (Museums Sheffield)
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The rocky crest of Wigber Low, with the low, stone burial mound cresting the summit’s horizon to the right of the hawthorn. (Photo: Bill Bevan).
Saxon Stones and Pagan Practices BILL BEVAN takes us on a walk through the Christian and pagan Anglo-Saxon Peak District, in this edited account from his new book Walk into the Dark Ages (Frances Lincoln).
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here is one place in the Peak District where you can walk back through Anglo-Saxon history, from its 8th century patronage of Christian stonework to its 7th century reverence of pagan dead in a burial mound. This three-mile walk from Bradbourne to Wigber Low takes you on this journey through the time when villages were created by lords who gathered together families from isolated farmsteads dispersed across the landscape of much of lowland Britain. The most obvious reminder of Bradbourne’s status as a Saxon royal centre is one of the most exquisitely carved Dark Age crosses in England, which today stands in the churchyard. The cross had been taken down from an unknown location and smashed during the Reformation of the 16th and early 17th centuries, when it possibly lost its cross. The cross is badly eroded, yet carved decoration can still be easily seen including branching and curling vine scrolls on its east and west faces, and at least three panels depicting human figures on the north and south faces.
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The cross is conventionally dated to around 800, as are the crosses at Bakewell and Eyam, although archaeologist and stone cross expert Phil Sidebottom has recently suggested an alternative date of between 920 and 940, when the kings of Wessex conquered the Peak District after a series of decisive battles. Women with altitude Leave the churchyard and turn right to head west out of the village. The University of Sheffield excavated two small trenches among the humps and bumps in the field opposite the entrance to the church, where they found evidence for a pond and a ditch along with sherds of pottery dating from the 9th to 12th centuries. These provide tantalising glimpses of domestic life at Bradbourne during the period the cross may have been erected, as Wessex extended its rule north and the Normans conquered England. Wigber Low is a prominent beacon as you leave the road and take the footpath over fields to drop down and cross Havenhill Dale Brook before the steep incline. The path takes you around to the western side of the base of the Low, from where you can easily climb onto the summit. The wide, low stone mound strikes you immediately as it lies draped across the southern side of the summit. It was in here that the bodies of at least five individuals from local ruling families were interred with gifts for the afterlife during the 7th century. A man and a woman were buried side-by-side, he aged between 45 and 50, she between 25 and 30, in a grave rich
between the stones. Larger bones were eventually taken away to be placed in chambered tombs, possibly such as nearby Minninglow, for use in ancestor ceremonies. The stink of putrification and clouds of blow flies hovered in the air above Neolithic Wigber Low. Continue south and around the Low then return north to the east, where you cross a narrow, wooded limestone dale so characteristic of the southern plateau, and can see how Bradbourne sits on a lower shoulder of fertile land where one of its common fields is betrayed by ridge and furrow. The prominence of Wigber Low behind you shows why some of the Peak District’s earliest Anglo-Saxon pagan settlers chose it as a burial ground, ensuring all could see their dead. Ahead is the future of the Christian village life into which their successors were born. Each episode was monumentalised in stone and has left its signature to be read today.
The base of the north face of Bradbourne cross is carved with this intriguing scene of three human figures. (Photo: Bill Bevan).
with objects such as an iron sword placed between them and iron knives. Another woman, this time between 17 and 25 years old, was buried with a small orb of rock crystal, a popular Anglo-Saxon amulet or good luck charm, in a grave dug into the southern side of the mound. A third grave held a woman and young child. Two beaver tooth pendants set in decorated gold cases were also found during excavations. Wigber Low is just one of 38 burial mounds known to date from the 7th century in the Peak District, and the presence of grave goods suggests pagan Anglo-Saxons rather than Christian Britons. The deathly hollows These 7th century burials were the last in a tradition spanning thousands of years on Wigber Low. As elsewhere in the Peak District, the Anglo-Saxons of the 7th century chose Bronze Age burial mounds to inter their dead. At least three skeletons and a cremation were buried with polished shale rings and beads over 2,000 years earlier. A thousand years before that, Neolithic communities exposed their dead to the elements and carrion on the flat platform below Wigber Low’s Bronx Age mound. As the flesh rotted or was torn away by carrion animals such as stoats, pine martens, buzzards and crows, the knuckles, toes and other small bones fell into the gaps
Bradbourne’s Saxon cross shaft stands resurrected in the churchyard after being smashed and built into field walls during the Reformation. This side appears to depict the crucifixion of Christ. (Photo: Bill Bevan).
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Climate Change and the Derwent Valley The East and North Mills at Belper are just two of the historic mills along the Derwent Valley that are vulnerable to rising water levels and flood damage (photo: David Knight)
ANDY J. HOWARD of Landscape Research & Management and DAVID KNIGHT and STEVE MALONE of Trent & Peak Archaeology report on a project looking at how climate change may affect the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
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he varied rocks and landscapes of the Peak District bear witness to oscillations in the earth’s climate, but in recent years these natural cycles of change have been disrupted by the impact of industrialisation and spiralling fossil fuel consumption. It is now widely acknowledged by the global scientific community that greenhouse gas emissions are causing irrevocable changes to our climate system, and in recognition of this some earth scientists have proposed that we should define a new sub-division of geological time: the Anthropocene. While the precise impact of these emissions upon climate remains uncertain, it seems likely that both the frequency and intensity of severe weather events will increase, with extremes of both temperature and rainfall commonplace. Planners and policy-makers are now starting to develop strategies to deal with the effects on the historic environment of extreme rainfall and flooding. The present project is one of several pilot studies funded by English Heritage, that are aimed at identifying environmental threats to historic environment resources, and investigating measures for enhancing the resilience of these. Work commenced in June 2014 and we summarise here the principal aims of the project and its key products.
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Location of the Core (red) and Buffer (orange) Zones of the World Heritage Site, showing relief, drainage, areas of ancient (dark green) and modern (light green) woodland and Post-Medieval and Modern mills (black).Contains Ordnance Survey data Š Crown Copyright and database 2014)
Why the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site? The ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ of the Derwent Valley Mills WHS rests on its internationally-important industrial heritage which, in view of its topographic location, is particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change on flood frequency and magnitude. Historically, industrial heritage sites are often intimately linked to their locality by physiography, and the mills of the Derwent Valley, which were located with respect to sources of water power, are no exception. Paradoxically, many of the physiographic locations that were advantageous to the early industrialists correspond to environments where geomorphological and geological processes are particularly sensitive to climate change. The vulnerability of the Derwent catchment to environmental disaster is exacerbated by its rich history of metal and mineral mining, as the valley sides and floodplain retain a legacy of contamination which is vulnerable to re-deposition by flooding and erosion. Studies in the northern Pennines have demonstrated that during the Little Ice Age (c.1450-1850)- the last major period of significant climatic deterioration- increased flooding led to the erosion and re-mobilisation of metalcontaminated sediments and the de-stabilisation of valley floors, with rivers transforming from single to multichannelled systems. The replication of such a scenario in the Derwent would have significant implications for its industrial heritage and for floodplain management generally. Therefore, our project aims to understand how the natural environment of the Derwent Valley has responded to climate change over the last millennium, and to use this information as an aid to predicting future environmental developments. Our Approach The project involves partners from the Universities of Hull and London (Birkbeck College), and draws together a variety of geomorphological, archaeological, historical
Lidar (airborne laser scanning) data provide a rich resource for the identification of relict river channels and studies of valley-floor landscapes, as demonstrated by this image of multiple abandoned river channels south and west of Little Eaton (source data ©Environment Agency)
and environmental datasets for the Core and Buffer Zones of the World Heritage Site. This data will be supplemented by computer modelling of river evolution to identify areas that are particularly vulnerable to future environmental change. The results from both empirical research and computer modelling will be assessed by reference to the spatial distribution of Medieval (1066-1539), Post-Medieval (15401900) and Modern (1901 to present) historic environment assets recorded in the Derbyshire Historic Environment Record. The outputs from this project will inform the developing research and management frameworks of the World Heritage Site, and will provide wider lessons for assessing the threats to historic assets in the light of climate change.
The Derwent floodplain, immediately upstream of Darley Abbey. Relict river channels have re-filled with water, which has encroached upon medieval ridge and furrow earthworks (photograph: Lee Elliott)
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The enigma of Carl Wark An aerial view of Carl Wark
ANNA BADCOCK of ArcHeritage describes the latest attempt to classify the mysterious hillfort of Carl Wark
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rcHeritage was recently commissioned by the National Trust to undertake a Conservation Management Plan for Carl Wark hillfort, a Scheduled Monument located on Hathersage Moor in the Burbage Valley. The plan is intended to guide and inform the ongoing management and approach to Carl Wark, now that its landscape is under new management. Carl Wark is an enigmatic site, a natural gritstone promontory accentuated by stone walling on the south and east sides and a massive, turf-built rampart with drystone facing on the easier western approach. The 10foot/three-metre-high rampart survives in an excellent state of preservation for much of its length. The site is generally considered to be a slight univallate (single-walled) hillfort, likely to date to the 1st millennium BC, but its unusual form and an absence of secure dating evidence means that this has always been open to interpretation. Its style and construction methods are unique in the north of England, and it does not easily fit with the other Peak District and Yorkshire hillforts. The only recorded excavation at Carl Wark took place in 1950 under the direction of Frank Gerald Simpson, and included a section cut through the western rampart. Simpson did not publish his results, but Piggott published a note on the excavation in 1951, which included a section drawing of the rampart. A number of photographs were taken at the time, and are held in the Sheffield Local Studies Library (see inset). The excavations produced no clear evidence for the date of the site, but the general consensus, based on morphological analogies, has been that the monument is a late Bronze Age to early Iron Age promontory fort. Many hillforts with a single wall enclosing areas at least partly 26
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surrounded by natural scarps were constructed during this period, and the in-turned entrance is a form found in demonstrably Iron Age forts. If this date is valid, the fort would have been contemporary with the nearby field systems at Winyard’s Nick and Toad’s Mouth, which could have been occupied at any point (or continuously) from the late Neolithic to the later Iron Age. Theories for a Neolithic or early medieval origin for the monument have also been postulated, and it is likely that the site’s dramatic appearance and setting would have made it a significant location throughout the history of human activity in the valley. The valley continued to be an important focus for activity through the medieval period, and into modern times. Along with the rest of the Burbage valley the site also contains significant evidence for post-medieval millstone production. Another important part of the site’s history is its role as a World War II military training ground.It is no surprise that Carl Wark, a prominent landscape feature with natural defensive characteristics, would be used in training for uphill ground assault and longer-range mortar target practice. The gritstone boulders, rock escarpments and defensible landscape features provided excellent training conditions, and bear the scars of this activity. The Conservation Plan discusses the wide range of past and current uses of the site along with their potential to impact on the ecological and archaeological resource. A series of management policies have been proposed, as well as recommendations for further work to enhance the understanding of the site and opportunities to engage the public in the conservation of the monument. The plan was funded through Natural England as part of the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme. Stunning aerial images were taken by Suave Aerial Photographers as part of this project, to aid the production of the plan. ArcHeritage is grateful to the many organisations and individuals who contributed to the project.
Respecting the past SARAH WHITELEY, Senior Conservation Archaeologist with the Peak District National Park Authority, explains the benefits of making building appraisals
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t is not uncommon for the National Park Authority to receive proposals for the conversion of old buildings to residential use. Often this involves traditional farm buildings, but occasionally includes proposals to convert industrial buildings, or houses which have not been occupied for many years. The structures involved may retain very early features, such as cruck–frames, blocked windows and evidence in the fabric of the building of how it has evolved through time. Buildings which have had a previous industrial use may still retain features such as, in the case of a mill, gearing, mill wheels and grindstones, water management features and wheel pits. In these cases it would be normal for us to ask for a buildings appraisal of the structure to be undertaken to inform assessment of the design proposals for its re-development. This would normally be done by an archaeological consultant to a brief produced by archaeologists in the Cultural Heritage Team, often in consultation with the Authority’s historic buildings specialists. This approach is enshrined in National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG 2012). An appraisal involves a thorough inspection of the building in question, including a rapid photographic survey, with particular attention being paid to original features of the structure. Evidence of any phasing of the building would also be noted. The resulting report would be used to help the developer recognise important evidence of the building’s history and original use and its significance. It also ensures that measures can be identified so that these features can be retained in the proposed re-development. A good example of the application of this approach occurred at Lode Mill, near Alstonefield in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Lode Mill is a Grade II listed former mill of early 19th century origin, which was proposed for re-development to a holiday let. It is thought that its original use was to process calamine, but it was later used to mill corn and ceased production in 1929. By the mid 2000s, the mill building still retained much of its original machinery in good condition. This included wooden gearing and millstones, the timber frame which supported them, a surviving water-wheel and a corn drying kiln. Externally, the mill pond and leat also remained intact, though silted up.
Lode Mill, Alstonefield
On the advice of the National Park Authority, Archaeological Research Services Ltd was commissioned by the developer to undertake a desk-based assessment, walkover survey of the surroundings of the mill, and appraisal/building recording of the structure. The resulting reports enabled the Cultural Heritage Team to advise on the most sensitive way to re-develop the building and its surroundings. This has resulted in the retention of the internal structures of the mill and no work being undertaken in the immediate surroundings of the building, retaining the original appearance and setting of the mill intact. Recently across the National Park, buildings appraisals have either been recommended, or commissioned, for two further mill complexes, a derelict 17th century farmhouse, Chantry House, Bakewell (a 17th century house in the corner of the churchyard which may have earlier origins), two post-medieval farm complexes, and a former water treatment works.
Surviving gearing at Lode Mill
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Sherds - news items
Dig this! Young Archaeologists’ Club
A bridge too far
A
food wholesale company has been fined after its lorry broke weight restrictions while using an historic Derbyshire bridge.
Derby Magistrates Court fined Teatime Tasties Limited £265 after it admitted the charge. The company was also ordered to pay court costs of £115.
Derbyshire County Council’s trading standards team prosecuted Teatime Tasties Limited, of North Shields, Tyne & Wear, for breaking the weight restrictions at Swarkestone Causeway, near Derby.
DCC’s trading standards officers regularly monitor the area in response to complaints from residents and historical groups concerned about the structure of the bridge and it being used as a short cut by heavy vehicles.
The bridge is a scheduled ancient monument and is covered by a 7.5-tonne weight restriction to protect it from damage under a weight restriction order. Trading standards officers were carrying out spot checks on the bridge in January when they saw the vehicle crossing the bridge. Checks revealed the lorry had a maximum gross weight of 17.8 tonnes − more than double the legal limit.
New Director at Creswell
The new director of the Creswell Crags Heritage Trust is Roger Shelley, who brings a wealth of experience from his previous posts at Chesterfield and Derby Museums. He succeeds Ian Wall, who left for a new post at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro 28
ACID | 2015
Councillor Ellie Wilcox, DCC’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, said: “The weight restriction orders on Derbyshire roads are in place for good reason, to improve safety for residents, pedestrians and other road users and, in this case, to protect a local heritage site. I hope other lorry drivers will think twice about breaking the law in future.” after 25 years of achievement working on the world-famous prehistoric remains at Creswell. Roger Shelley is a local and social historian by background, and says he is looking forward to getting to grips with the fascinating Ice Age and Stone Age evidence centred on Creswell and the Magnesian limestone plateau. “The Crags are a powerful source of inspiration and pride for the people of north Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire,” said Roger. “The team at the visitor centre and their many partners are all set to build on their previous great work, and I’ll be working with them to bring the story of this country’s earliest human history to life for new audiences. “Creswell’s message is really one for our times, as all life strives to evolve in a world of dramatic climate change.”
Phoebe Whiteley and Hattie Mabey on the YAC Roman food stall at Ilam.
As a member of the Young Archaeologists’ Club, I have had the chance to go on some great trips, meet interesting people, and learn loads of new things. The first YAC meeting I went to was to Goyt moors, where we looked for aeroplane crash sites. But one of my favourite trips was to the Jorvik Viking centre in York. We spent the day visiting the museum, doing an inside excavation and looking at artefacts, and I think everyone enjoyed the ride through the Viking Age city of Jorvik. Every year my friends and I help out with the Archaeology Day at Ilam Hall. We usually run a stand where people can try a taster dish of typical Roman food. This year it included spiced wine, mushy peas, army bread, garlic with Parmesan cheese, olive relish and sweet dates. It was great fun. We finish the year with a Christmas party, when we all dress up as famous historical characters, play historical games, do a craft activity like making scented oranges – and eat lots of food. Why don’t you join us? The Peak District branch of YAC meets the second Saturday in the month, and it’s run by Paul Mortimer, Projects Officer (White Peak) for the National Trust, who is based at Ilam Hall. – Phoebe Whiteley (aged 14)
Sherds outer faces of the main girders in a ‘warm stone’, the inner parts of the girders ‘bluish grey’, scroll work ‘deep chocolate’ and finials picked out in ‘golden yellow’. These colours have been replicated using modern available paint, with the revised colours replacing a maroon and cream scheme introduced in 1987.
Back-in-time Jubilee Bridge reopens
M
atlock Bath’s Jubilee Bridge re-opened in July exactly the way it looked when first opened in 1887 to celebrate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. Derbyshire Dales District Council commissioned the restoration earlier this year and work started at the end of April to make the bridge structurally sound for the future.
Connecting Matlock Bath’s Promenade with the famous Lovers’ Walks, the iconic bridge over the River Derwent reopened ahead of the District Council’s Matlock Bath Illuminations in their 117th season. All metalwork has been blast cleaned and defective metal re-plated, and the entire bridge re-painted with a 20-year guarantee, taking the structure back to the way it first looked 127 years ago. Local historian Rosemary Thacker unearthed a newspaper article from 1887 which revealed Jubilee Bridge was originally painted in four colours – the
Chairman of the council Carol Walker, who cut the ribbon to officially reopen the bridge, said: “This is the first facelift for the Jubilee Bridge since its centenary year and we are grateful to Rosemary Thacker for helping to make the restoration as authentic as possible. “We made the money available for the work after local people, traders and the local media correctly pointed out that the bridge was in need of attention. I am sure local people and visitors to Matlock Bath will approve of the transformation. “It is exciting to think that it now looks exactly the way it did when it was first unveiled to celebrate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.”
Castleton’s hospital – a final resting place? Seven years of fieldwork on Spital Field on the outskirts of Castleton, aimed at locating the medieval Hospital of Blessed Mary of the High Peak, paid off this summer. This community project was supported by an HLF grant to Castleton Historical Society, and was led by Colin Merrony from Sheffield University’s Department of Archaeology.
burials, those excavated all being oriented east-west with the head facing east.
On occasions the project seemed destined to fold due to lack of evidence, then something would be found to make it worthwhile returning next year; a wall, a (disembodied) skull, lead smelting hearths, and then in 2013, significantly, some burial cuts.
Six burials, including those of two babies, have been removed for detailed analysis at Sheffield University, and at the time of writing, the osteology report and radiocarbon dating are pending. Given its location, the burial ground is likely to have been associated with a nearby hospital infirmary and chapel. The individuals buried here were probably poor locals or travellers, and they could have lived and died here at any time during the 400 years following hospital’s foundation in the 12th century.
So it was with high hopes that the troops gathered yet again on the Spital Field in June last year for what has become an annual dig. Happily the optimism was justified, as the previous year’s burial cuts were excavated to reveal two wellpreserved adult skeletons, and in the course of the four-week dig, evidence of perhaps another 10 burials was found. Indications are that these are Christian
In the continuing quest for structural evidence, a line of stone, possibly the foundations of a substantial wall, northeast of the burials and parallel to the main Castleton-Hope road was also found, close to a deep and beautifullyconstructed drain. The significance of all these findings will be discussed by Colin Merrony in his talk to Derbyshire Archaeology Day, in January.
Working on the burial ground; Anna, with Alessandra and Kristin in the foreground
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Sherds
Council steps in to save Crescent D erbyshire County Council has agreed to loan developers a multimillion pound sum to ensure Buxton Crescent can be converted into a 79-bedroom five-star spa hotel.
The Buxton Crescent and Thermal Spa project began a number of years ago, when the county and borough councils sought to find a new use for The Crescent – which is jointly owned by both authorities. Funding is coming from a variety of sources, the developers (£15m), Heritage Lottery Fund (£12.4m), English Heritage (£500,000) and Derbyshire County Council and High Peak Borough Council (£2m). The project was due to receive £5m from the East Midlands Development Agency, (EMDA), but this funding was withdrawn when EMDA was disbanded by the Government in 2011. Four recent bids to the Regional Growth Fund (the Government fund which replaced Development Agency grants) also were not successful. The delay caused by losing the EMDA funding has meant that because of the 30
ACID | 2015
current financial climate the developers have not been able to borrow the amount they need from the banks. It is this amount that the council has agreed, in principle, to loan to them. Additional funds are also needed because of increased construction costs. Councillor Anne Western, Leader of the Council said: “The Crescent is of national historic significance and its restoration will put Buxton and the north of the county back on the map.
“This project is too important to Buxton and the rest of Derbyshire to fail. It is very disappointing that neither the Government nor the banks have been able to give their support. Our only option to allow the restoration of the Crescent and in turn create a better economic future for Buxton is to loan the outstanding money ourselves.” Councillor Caitlin Bisknell, Leader of High Peak Borough Council, said: “Returning this fantastic heritage building to full use has economic and cultural significance not just for Buxton, the High Peak and Derbyshire, but nationally as well. The project is the linchpin of our £70 million heritage-led regeneration programme.
“I very much welcome the county council’s decision to make this funding available and look forward to seeing work begin on the main construction later this year.” The loan, the actual amount has yet to be finally decided, will be made to the developers over a period of five years, with interest charged at commercial rates.
The Crescent was built in the 1780s by the 5th Duke of Devonshire as the centrepiece of his Georgian spa development. The county council took over half the building in the 1970s and used it as offices and a library. High Peak Borough Council has owned the other half of the building (formerly the St Ann’s Hotel) since 1993. The Natural Baths were run by High Peak Borough Council as a public swimming pool from 1937 until 1972 and then as Buxton’s Tourist Information Centre. The additional funding has been welcomed by academics at the University of Derby, whose students at its Buxton campus will benefit. The hotel will offer work placements where students can gain vital experience.
Sherds
More skeletons found at Fin Cop A follow-up programme of archaeological investigation by Archaeological Research Services Ltd and Cranfield University took place on the hillfort at Fin Cop during the summers of 2012 and 2014, with the help of local volunteers. The project was funded by ARS and Cranfield University with further in-kind support from the Peak District National Park Authority. The excavation followed directly on from the investigations undertaken by ARS and the Longstone Local History Group during 2009 and 2010 (see ACID 2010 and 2011).
dates are currently planned as English Heritage have advised that the current dating satisfactorily establishes the sequence of fort ditch deposits, and current resourcing priorities does not allow for further dating on this material.
A single trench was cut over the southeast corner of the main rampart and ditch during the 2012 season, and this was extended by two metres in a southerly direction during the 2014 season. The remains of at least six human individuals comprising two adults, one foetal child and three new-born children were identified in the rampart destruction deposit within the fill of the rock cut ditch. This brings the total of individuals recovered from the ditch so far to 15 – which equates to broadly one individual per metre of ditch excavated.
The preservation of archaeological material was remarkable, with all the skeletons, including those of the babies, being very well preserved, considering their age and context of deposition. Snail shells survived well within the hillfort ditch attached to the rocks of the destruction deposit that had previously comprised the hillfort wall and core at depths of 1-2 metres. Ceramics also survived well in this environment and carbonised residues were found on several sherds.
Small fragments of animal bone were found in the hillfort ditch and within the stone wall core, comprising cattle, sheep/goat, rabbit/ hare and a possible rat. No radiocarbon
The limestone geology creates a benign environment for the preservation of organic materials, a component of the archaeological record so often missing from
the neighbouring gritstone and sandstone areas. Botanical macrofossils and charred wood was also well-preserved. However, due to the free-draining nature of the soils and limestone geology, there was no evidence for waterlogged environments, such as in the rock-cut ditch for example. Hence the preservation of organic sediments that could shed light on the surrounding vegetation was absent, which again contrasts with gritstone and sandstone areas where such waterlogged and peaty deposits are more common. – Clive Waddington
Man or Superman? After travelling round the world and featuring in exhibitions in China and Spain, one of Creswell Crags’ most significant archaeological treasures returned home. Pin Hole Man was the focus of an exhibition entitled Man or Superman: Pin Hole Man at the visitor centre last year. The intriguing 13,500-year-old engraving is the only Ice Age depiction of a man from Britain. However, the bone onto which it has been carved is much older. It is from a woolly rhinoceros, an animal which became extinct in Britain 22,000 years ago. Despite being one of the most significant archaeological finds from the site, this small engraving of a man, found in Pin Hole Cave in the 1920s, is a mystery. This exhibition
explores three main ways in which the engraving has been interpreted: as a man, as a cartoon, and as a creature.
The exhibition also explores the engraving in a modern context against artworks by artist Ghislaine Howard and childrens’ illustrator Megan Rose Wall. “This amazing animal bone is one of Creswell’s main claims to fame,” explained Crags director Roger Shelley. “It’s been the subject of controversy ever since it was discovered. We invited people to come along and tell us what they thought it represents, remembering all the time that our judgment was being made through the prism of 13,500 years.”
The figure of the man is engraved at the bottom of the bone
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Bookshelf
A History of the Peak District Moors By David Hey
Death and Disease in the Peak and Other Past Perils By John Spencer
(Pen & Sword Local, £12.99 pb)
(Austin Macauley, £4.99 pb)
As well as being a distinguished local historian and Emeritus Professor of Local and Family History at Sheffield University, David Hey is also a keen rambler, and a past president of the Yorkshire & North East Derbyshire area of the Ramblers’ Association.
This strange little book by a retired doctor gives a rather quirky and not always accurate account of various unpleasant diseases which were prevalent in the Peak District in the past.
His love of the moors and interest in the long fight for access to them, shines through in this typically comprehensive and thorough account of the history of the Peak District moors. Hey’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of the moors, from the extensive Bronze Age settlement of the Eastern moors through to Defoe’s “waste and houling wilderness” and the results of the 18th and 19th century enclosures, is evident. But his view that the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout in 1932 was merely “a media icon”, and gained nothing for the access movement will be questioned by many. And it is strange, for an active rambler, that he ends his review of the campaign for the Right to Roam in the 1980s. He makes no mention of the Countryside & Rights of Way Act of 2000, which finally gave back to the walking public their cherished right to roam on the moors, taken from them by the Enclosure Acts.
Everything from the Eyam plague to Derbyshire neck or goitre and the apparently modern disorder of anorexia nervosa is recorded in sometimes harrowing detail, together with descriptions of some of the ancient remedies. These include the eating of Cornish pasties – described as a “no touch lunch” – to avoid contamination by hookworms, and the addition of iodine to salt and flour, which effectively eliminated Derbyshire neck. But the book is spoiled by several unfortunate inaccuracies. These include the unaccountable naming of Cucklet Delf, where outdoor services were held at Eyam during the plague, years as “Dingley Dell”, which sounds rather like some kind of throwback to Pickwick Papers or Noel Edmonds; and the naming of the unfortunate person who unwittingly brought the plague virus to the village as George Vickers, when it was George Viccars. Also, Aldous Huxley is quoted when it should be Julian Huxley, and TH Lawrence instead of DH Lawrence.
The Chatsworth Villages at Peace and War: Life in Edensor, Pilsley and Beeley By Keith Taylor (Country Books, £12.99 pb) The centenary of the start of the First World War has predictably spawned a rash of books and TV programmes on the subject. But Keith Taylor’s book casts a revealing look at the effect that both World Wars had on the Chatsworth estate villages of Edensor, Pilsley and Beeley. A total of 35 servicemen from these villages lost their lives during the First World War, and another eight during the Second, a dreadful ratio which is matched on many a village war memorial. 32
ACID | 2015
As the late Dowager Duchess of Devonshire says in her foreword, there are few villages in Britain which were not affected by the loss of men and women in the global conflicts. Her husband’s elder brother Major William Cavendish, Marquis of Hartington, died in Belgium in September, 1944 and her only brother and brother-in-law were also killed in the Second World War. “My parentsin-law never recovered from Billy Hartington’s death,” she writes. But perhaps the most tragic death at Chatsworth was the eldest son of the head keeper, 25-year-old Sidney Lord, who was killed in an attempt to cross the River Elbe just eight days before the end of the last war. This is a well-illustrated and detailed piece of social history which truly records the awful and longlasting effect that the two wars had on these peaceful village communities.
Bookshelf
This Remote Little School: The story of Sheldon National School, 1878–1935 By Brian Greasley (Country Books, £10 pb) Sheldon National School, which opened to serve the tiny village (pop 75) perched 1,000 feet up in the White Peak in 1878, only remained open for 57 years. But during that time, it gained an enviable reputation, with a preOfsted Inspector reporting “pleasing manners and good behaviour” and standards that were “highly creditable” among its 40 pupils. This charming history has been produced by local resident Brian Greasley, mainly using records from Derbyshire County Council’s Local History Library and Record Office at Matlock and the Chatsworth archives.
The school, like most of the village, came under the beneficent ownership of the Dukes of Devonshire, and it was the 9th Duke who paid the £263 for the building and furnishing of the school in 1878. Today, the school building serves as Sheldon’s Village Hall, but two display cabinets inside show artefacts which were left when the school closed. These include fossil specimens and two school bells, reminding visitors of the “remote little school” which had served its community so well.
DC Archaeological Projects: 2013 –14 Steve Baker (Development Control Archaeologist) Dave Barrett (County Archaeologist) Sarah Whiteley (Senior Conservation Archaeologist, Peak District National Park Authority) The list below shows archaeological fieldwork arising from the development control archaeologist’s advice to the local planning authorities and the county and Peak District National Park Authority archaeologists’ advice to the county council as minerals planning authority. This is not a comprehensive list. Where developments have involved several phases of work then some of the archaeological work may have been undertaken prior to 2013-14. Further information on these sites can be obtained from the Historic Environment Record. Contractor/ Agency Abbreviations: AOC
AOC Archaeology
NAA
Northern Archaeological Associates
APS
Archaeological Project Services
OA
Oxford Archaeology (North)
ARS
Archaeological Research Services
PCA
Pre-Construct Archaeology (Lincoln)
CA
Cotswold Archaeology
TPA
Trent & Peak Archaeology
CGMS
CgMs Consulting
TVAS
Thames Valley Archaeological Services
ECUS
ECUS Environmental Consultants
ULAS
University of Leicester Archaeological Services
Mercian
Mercian Archaeological Services
WA
Wessex Archaeology (Sheffield)
MOLA
Museum of London Archaeology
WYAS
West Yorkshire Archaeological Service
Location
Type of work undertaken
Archaeological contractor
(DBA = Desk Based Assessment)
Amber Valley Borough Council Duffield Hall, Duffield
GK Heritage/WA
Evaluation
Eachwell Lane, Alfreton
PCA
Evaluation, topographic survey
Roes Lane, Crich
CGMS, WA
Geophysics
Derby Road, Swanwick
TVAS
Evaluation
Ambergate Reservoir
NAA
Building recording, landscape survey
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Location
Type of work undertaken
Archaeological contractor
(DBA = Desk Based Assessment)
Bolsover District Council Middle Street, Bolsover
ARS
Excavation
Roseland Community windfarm
WA
Evaluation
Welbeck Road/Oxcroft Lane, Bolsover
Prospect Archaeology/PCA
Geophysics
Bolsover Castle
TPA
Watching brief
Portland Road, Shirebrook
AOC
Evaluation
Cragg Lane, Newton
WA
Geophysics, evaluation
Mansfield Road, Clowne
ECUS, WA
Geophysics, evaluation
Staveley Hall
Archemis
Watching brief
Eyre Chapel, Newbold
Suzanne Fraser-Martin
Watching brief
St Peter’s Church, Derby
ULAS
Watching brief
Darley Playing Fields and Parker’s Piece, Darley Abbey
OA
Evaluation
Bemrose School
ULAS
Watching brief
‘Marble Hall’, Osmaston Road
Waterman
Building recording
Derbyshire Royal Infirmary
ARS
Building recording
Bath Street Mills
ULAS
Evaluation
Brook Farm, Chaddesden
ULAS
Evaluation
Full Street Police Station
ARS
Evaluation
Castleward, Derby
ECUS, WA
Evaluation, excavation
Holmleigh Way, Chellaston
ULAS
Evaluation
Sowter Road, Derby
AOC
Watching brief
Chesterfield Borough Council
Derby City Council
Derbyshire Dales District Council Griffe Grange windfarm
WA
Evaluation
Hillside Farm, Ashbourne
CGMS, WA
Evaluation
Cromford Mill Building 17
CA
Building recording, watching brief
Luke Lane, Brailsford
WA
Evaluation
St Giles Church, Matlock
TPA
Geophysics, excavation
Bath Street, Ilkeston
TPA
DBA, evaluation
Glenbery House, Long Eaton
TPA
Building recording
Ilkeston Station
URS
Building recording
Wards Lane, Breaston
TPA
Watching brief
Trent Farm Quarry
ULAS
Watching Brief, evaluation and excavation
Erewash Borough Council
34
ACID | 2015
High Peak Borough Council Foxlow Farm, Buxton
CGMS, OA
Evaluation
Burlow Road, Buxton
APS
Evaluation
Queens Head, Buxton
ARS
Watching brief
Hallsteads, Dove Holes
ArcHeritage
Evaluation
Linglongs Road, Whaley Bridge
CGMS, GSB
Geophysics
Furness Vale Marina
ArcHeritage
DBA
North Road, Glossop
CGMS, GSB
Geophysics
Salem Mill, New Mills
Paul Butler Associates
Building recording
Dove Holes Quarry
ARS
Topographic survey, watching brief
North East Derbyshire District Council Biwater, Clay Cross
Prospect Archaeology, WYAS
Evaluation
Staveley Lane, Eckington
CGMS, OA
Evaluation
Former Coalite, Duckmanton
CGMS,
Geophysics
Mill Lane, Wingerworth
ARS
Evaluation
South Derbyshire District Council Winshill, Newton Solney
CGMS, MOLA
Evaluation
Rosehill Works, Woodville
TPA
Evaluation
Highfields Farm, Findern
ULAS
Evaluation
Boulton Moor, Elvaston
ULAS
Evaluation, excavation
Burton Road, Ticknall
Mercian
Watching brief
Main Street, Kings Newton
ARS
Evaluation
The Mease, Hilton
Woodhall Planning and Conservation
DBA/buildings appraisal
Etwall Road, Willington
CGMS, OA, Albion Archaeology
Evaluation, excavation
Willington Quarry
ULAS
Watching brief
Swarkestone Quarry
TPA
Watching brief
Derbyshire Dales District Council (within National Park) Hilltop Farm, Parwich
Brigantia Archaeology
Watching brief
Chapel Street, Monyash
Heritage Solutions
Watching brief
Hartington Creamery, Hartington
WA
Geophysics and trial trenching
Conksbury Lane, Youlgrave
ARS
Evaluation
Tearsall Quarry, Bonsall
Wardell Armstrong
Photographic Monitoring/watching brief
Cow Close Farm, Ballidon
WA
Watching brief
Chantry House, Bakewell
The Jessop Consultancy
Photographic survey/watching brief
The Mill, Millersdale
ARS
Watching brief
Manor Farm, Sheldon
ARS
Watching brief
Burntwood Quarry, Beeley
ArcHeritage
Watching brief
High Peak Borough Council (within National Park) Ashop Weir project, Hope Woodlands
PCA
Watching brief
Hurst Reservior, Charlesworth
WA
Building recording, watching brief, environmental sampling
Navio Fort, Bradwell
WA
Watching brief
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Picturing the past:
ILAM CROSS I
lam Cross, in the centre of the pretty estate village of Ilam at the foot of Dovedale, has been described as “one of the finest Gothic Revival monuments in the country.” The design of the Mary WattsRussell Memorial Cross was based on the Eleanor Crosses which Edward I erected to mark the 12 stopping places on the last journey of his queen, Eleanor of Castile, from Lincolnshire to Westminster Abbey, after her death in 1290. Ilam Cross was erected 175 years ago by another grieving husband, Jesse Watts-Russell of Ilam Hall, in memory of his wife, Mary, who had died at the early age of 48 in 1840. The architect was John Macduff Derick of Oxford. Fifteen years ago, the Grade II* listed structure had become so badly eroded and dilapidated it was placed on English Heritage’s ‘At Risk’ register. After local historian Philip Mottram set up the Ilam Cross Trust, a £230,000 restoration programme was finally started in 2010, after the Peak District National Park Authority stepped in to secure ownership and transferred it to the Trust. The restoration was also supported by the National Lottery, English Heritage, LEADER, The Pilgrim Trust, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and a range of smaller donors.
Archaeology and Conservation in Derbyshire is supported by:
The newly-carved angel on the cross