Why lines were built and why they were shut have been of great interest to our speaker for much of his life and on Thursday night Alan Young came to talk about his hobby. Being a Geordie he first became interested in railway lines and stations in Heaton near Newcastle, that was in 1972 however
Kevin Cootes proved to us that Cheshire was not ‘a black hole’ in the Iron Age nor is it ‘not well known archaeologically’. After outlining nearby settlements, Chester amphitheatre and Meols for example he expanded on the Poulton site. This in an ideal position on a plateau overlooking a rich agricultural flood plain and near
What a super day that was, a dazzling array of speakers who informed and entertained the audience with a box of delights from around the North West. First from the post was Rick Peterson who outlined developments in the Whitewell area. Fairy Holes cave with its intriguing well developed opening has a long history of
Peter del Strother’s excellent talk to a super audience of the Friends and guests was a fascinating insight into little known facts (to some of us anyway) of Clitheroe. Did you know that? There’s a finial in the rose garden of Clitheroe Castle from the Houses of Parliament that was burnt down in 1834… That
A bright and cool autumn day saw a small but select group on the canal at Finsley Gate in Burnley. We were lucky that Mike Clarke was able to meet up with us and start us off on our walk around Finsley Gate and onto the straight ‘mile’ or Burnley Val. According to Roger Frost,
The first talk of the season was off to a flying start with a super turn out to hear Nick Burton’s talk of Cromwell’s northern journey. Nick took us on a tour of Yorkshire and Lancashire tracing the route followed by Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army, in a difficult to comprehend four days, as his
With the farmer’s permission, we enjoyed a lovely sunny September walk along the Ings Beck valley from Hollins Farm to Ings End. The total distance was under 1 mile, but there was plenty of industrial archaeology, wild flowers and geological specimens to discover. The purpose was to explore the remains of the Skeleron Mines and
With the threat of rain, four intrepid archaeologists made one last visit to the site. The trench was cleaned before photographing. As a result of the previous night’s rain, the differences within the trench were more visible. There is an area of stone and quartz in the trench, which could be interpreted as a collapsed
Day 3 This afternoon on site was windy and cold but sunny. Just the right conditions for lots of enthusiastic trowelling! After removing around half a tonne of soil, the layout of the trench is become clearer. Work will continue tomorrow to try to define the stone feature. We will also explore the south western
Trench 8 Day 1 On a dry and sunny day, with spectacular views of the areas around, Trench 8 (2m x 3m) was opened to continue investigating an anomaly identified on a geophysical survey in 2018. The turf and top soil were removed by heavy trowelling. Few finds came out of this context. This is
A group of “Friends” enjoyed a 2.5 mile walk through Victoria Park to Lomeshaye Village and then up into Nelson Centre, taking in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It was led by Andrea Smith and entitled, “ A Weavers Walk. “ We saw the second tallest chimney and second tallest church spire in Lancashire, mills,
As the mist lifted, Calf Hill continued to cling on to its secrets for the last day of the current dig. The dark soil was removed from the south of the trench. It seemed to run underneath Context 2, on top of the cobbled surface.The stone features were cleaned, photographed and lifted. The feature in
Trench 6 extension The second day of the dig took place on a hot summer’s day. Although this resulted in the day being shortened, a lot of work was completed in the southern part of the trench. The decision was made to extend the trench to reveal more of the stone feature. Typically, the spoil
Trench 6 extension On an uncharacteristically fine and sunny day, the group returned to Calf Hill to continue investigating the track/road. Specific questions being asked were ‘How wide is the road’ and ‘What date is the road?’. Trench 6 (see Calf Hill Season 2 Part 1 Day 3 29/5/19) was located and an extension trench
During the summer holidays over 20 children with parents or grandparents spent a morning hunting for clues to the treasure in Barrowford Park. Back at base there was the chance of a lucky dip and all the children received a golden coin and an ice cream in the cafe. Banner Image: Successful Treasure Hunters
The sunshine finally made an appearance on the last day of the current dig. The group worked hard to solve the riddle of the trench. Context 3 consisted of a surface of stones of varying sizes. In the west of the trench the stone seemed more compact. However, on investigation it was found that Context
Mist and drizzle welcomed us to Calf Hill for the second day of digging. Work was continued in Trench 7, working through Context 1 and Context 2. The grass roots were removed from the centre and east of the trench by light mattocking. Following this the trench was trowelled until Context 2 began to be
27th July 2019 Trench 7 Clouds, showers and increasingly heavy rain accompanied the start of our summer dig on Calf Hill. Trench 7 (2m x 6m) was opened to investigate an anomaly identified on a geophysical survey in 2018. Following removal of the turf, the group worked on trowelling Context 1. The trench showed differences
On a hot summer’s day (yes, we do occasionally get those up north), a small group visited the excavation of a series of First World War practice trenches located within Long Wood, an area of ancient semi-natural woodland located in Copley, Calderdale, West Yorkshire. The site was initially recorded during winter 2017 as part of the National
Our summer event, Flowers and Voices was held at Pendle Heritage Centre. Dave from Conservation Services showed us how to make lime mortar. (5 parts sand to 2 parts lime and not much water). He used the mortar on the old garden wall (which is in great need of repointing) and applied it between the
On a sunny day, the group set off from Anna’s Café to explore the hillsides and valley of Weir, our main objective being the mysterious Broadclough Dykes. Sites in the area date from prehistory to the industrial revolution and beyond. Weir contains houses of many dates. It allowed the group to see water-shot coursing and
The Roman Fort Derventio near Malton with the adjoining vicus was the destination for an excellent Pendle Archaeology Group day trip. The morning weather was kind to the group with plenty of sunshine and little rain. After setting off bright and early from various starting points and visiting a coffee shop, the group gathered
After a swift AGM and the appointment of a new Chairman and Treasurer and big Thankyou to David Taylor our retiring chairman for all his work over many years and a thankyou to Roger Grimshaw for his work as Treasurer for several years and for dragging the Friends into the 21st Century, the group enjoyed
If you weren’t there you missed a smashing trip and several walks through history! A good journey, good driver, good friendships and a good time was had by all. We started with a visit to Brymbo where this old iron and steel works is being partly restored to inform folks of the social and industrial
Martholme Manor is a Grade 1 listed manor house dating back to the 13th century. A medieval gem hidden away in Great Harwood, members of Pendle Archaeology Group visited recently for a private tour of the house and grounds. The current, owners whose family have lovingly restored and refurbished this charming house over the past
This was a very entertaining afternoon, thanks to Janet Swan and members of the Clarion Community Choir and other singers who descended on us in the Barn. Janet introduced little known songs as well as ‘Old Pendle’ of course, whilst inbetween demonstrating the impact of at least two reformers who had an impact on the
A meander through a Yorkshire village obviously appealed to our members. A bakers dozen joined in the walk around this interesting dales village. We looked at many features of vernacular architecture including drip mouldings, chamfered mullions, date stones and moulded eaves. Railway houses built by the Settle Carlise railway could be seen on the East
David Johnson’s research over many years is in truth ground breaking (in more ways than one!) and will be a revelation to those in the south who think the Angles and Saxons only occupied the southern half of England. He outlined the geographical context, discussed Early Mediaeval (EM) sites, the proven evidence and the issues
Didn’t we have a lovely time the day we went to ……’ Liverpool. A smooth journey and good weather. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Exhibition was delightful. Although it wasn’t only his work that was on display there were other interesting and gorgeous contributions from the Glasgow School of Art amongst them Talwin Morris. Apparently the
On a dry and calm Saturday, with hazy sun, the Pendle Archaeology Group decided to revisit Heyhouses in the ‘Hidden’ or Sabden Valley. The morning was spent exploring the old settlement and talking about its historical and agricultural background from the 14C to the late 18C. This involved examining old photos of cottages, comparing old