• Editorial Review
• Lecture Reminder | Tue 23 April | How to get to Stockton Library
• Activities & Events | Local and regional conferences, day schools, lectures and exhibitions | Activities for later in 2013 and beyond
• Action Stations | Bamburgh Research Project 2013 crowd funding | English Heritage Angel Awards | Pevsner's County Durham update
• Site Notes | The latest regional projects and finds | Major pipeline proposals, their archaeological impacts and public consultations
• News Roundup | Stories and press coverage for our region
• Browser | This month's recommended Browsing, Listening and Reading items
• About TAS | How to join | eNews Archive

A number of flyers and documents in this eNewsletter are downloadable in PDF format.
You will need (free) Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your computer.
 

TAS Lecture Reminder A copy of the 2013 programme is also available to view on the TAS website. All lectures take place in Stockton Central Library at 7.30pm unless stated otherwise. Directions to Stockton are provided below. Non-member guests are welcome for £3 on the door. Tue 23 April 2013 | Jim Innes University of Durham Past Environments of Fylingdales Moor   Research by Margaret Atherden in the 1980s provided a record of the long-term vegetation history of the area around Fylingdales Moor, since when the exposure of many archaeological sites on the eastern part of the moor by the wildfire of 2003 has shown that it was the location of major human activity during prehistoric and later times.   New pollen analyses from peat deposits in the burned area have given detailed information regarding the vegetation cover and human land use on the moor from the early Mesolithic through to the Late Medieval period. Pollen evidence of forest clearance and agriculture confirms that the area was heavily used by people from the late prehistoric period onwards. Image | Dr Jim Innes, University of Durham (Editor). How to get to Stockton Library Stockton Central Library is located off Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1TU. By Rail | Stockton railway station is located at Bishopton Lane, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 2AJ, approximately 400m from the library. Stockton is served by trains between Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, Newcastle (via Sunderland), Hexham and Carlisle with connections required for Darlington mainline and TransPennine services via York and Middlesbrough. By Bus | For local and regional bus services, visit the journey planner at Connect Tees Valley. Student shuttle between Durham and Queen's Campus via Stockton Town Centre | In term-time a University campus shuttle bus runs between Harvard Avenue (outside Queen's Campus) to Stockton town centre, then to Durham, calling at the Maiden Castle sports centre, the Science Site, New Elvet and the bus station. Daytime services are half-hourly, evening is hourly | More info on services By Car | Free evening parking is at the rear of the library—turn into the street named The Square towards the river, entering the car park through barriers on the right. When you arrive | The lecture room is located to the east of the ground floor library area through two sets of double doors. You can also enter from the rear car park (opposite the Police Station) and turn right once inside. Please sign the visitor's book. Guests are welcome for £3 each on the door—please pay a Committee member. Refreshments are available afterwards. The refurbished library has a cafe upstairs and offers free WiFi access.

This exhibition, on loan from Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar & Cleveland, will be opened by Robert Taylor of Kirkleatham Museum at 2.15pm on Tuesday 23rd April

The Northallerton and District Local History Society invite you to a public presentation:

The Limestone Industry of North Yorkshire by Dr David Johnson.

Venue |

The York Archaeological Trust offers several ways to get involved at Hungate, York. Training excavations provide a way to learn about and participate in excavation, recording, planning, finds processing, environmental sampling and processing. Archaeology Live! is their primary training excavation, which takes place during the summer months and now extended into 2013.

The Archaeology Live! training excavations had been taking place as part of the Block H excavations since 2007. However, the site was finished at the end of 2011 leaving a huge archive of material to look through and make sense of, but also a number of questions. The 2013 season offers the chance to return to Block H and investigate a new area, focusing on the demolished church of St John-in-the-Marsh. The archaeology will be of various periods, including:

• Roman | Will we find Roman archaeology and what nature will it be? There should be Roman remains extending into this part of the site and as it was a natural high point in the landscape will there be any Roman structures which took advantage of this?
• Anglo-Scandinavian | The church could be pre-conquest in date so can we prove this one way or another? There is also potential for Viking archaeology that may relate to domestic activities.
• Medieval | What survives of the church? In 2002 we found traces of the northern wall as well as burials surrounding the building. We hope to find more of the church in 2013 and get a better idea of the extent of the cemetery. We do not intend to dig any burials, but will record them in situ, digging into earlier deposits where no burials survive.
• Post-Medieval | What happened to the church in the 1500s? In 2002 we found what we thought was a demolition layer across some trenches, so can we find more and prove it was from the church. We will also look at what they used the plot of land for in the 17th and 18th centuries, hopefully more evidence of the Cordwainers.
• 19th Century onwards | How did this plot of land develop during the 19th century? Hopefully we will find more remains of people who developed this parcel of land and how it fell into decline at the end of this period.

 Image | Excavators at Hungate, courtesy of YAT.

The first live cinema event ever produced by the British Museum offers an exclusive private view of the major exhibition, Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The British Museum will stage two unique live broadcasts to cinema audiences across the UK and Ireland with a special offer to school groups.

Introduced by British Museum director Neil MacGregor this event will use a line-up of expert presenters to create a one-off experience including contributions from historian Mary Beard, Rachel de Thame revealing life in the garden, Giorgio Locatelli in the kitchen and Bettany Hughes in the bedroom.

This unique live broadcast event will take cinema audiences round the major exhibition Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum 28 March – 29 September 2013 in the company of renowned experts and practitioners who, alongside live performance – music, poetry and eye-witness accounts – will bring to life extraordinary objects, some never seen outside Italy before. Interviews throughout the exhibition will be intercut with stunning specially recorded films in Italy, showing Pompeii and Herculaneum and the sleeping Vesuvius.

This exhibition is the first ever held on these important cities at the British Museum, and the first such major exhibition in London for almost 40 years. The exhibition has a unique focus, looking at the Roman home and lives of the people who lived nearly 2000 years ago in Pompeii and Herculaneum, both typical Roman towns at the heart of the empire.

Bronze Age relics dating back 4,000 years have gone on display for the first time at the Forestry Commission’s Dalby Forest Visitor Centre.

The collection, including ceramics, jet, tools and part of a scabbard, were found by local history enthusiasts William Lamplough, his son David, and John ‘Ronnie’ Lidster in the surrounding countryside after the Second World War. Two years ago, the archive was donated to the Yorkshire Museum by the son of one of the men and much of it will now be displayed at the visitor centre as part of an museum project to highlight the amazing prehistory of the UK’s biggest county. Katie Thorn, from the Forestry Commission, said:

"We have never before had this kind of material on show at Dalby, but it’s absolutely fitting as the forest contains no less than 83 scheduled ancient monuments, spanning thousands of years. Most of the archive items were found around Bronze Age burial mounds in forests like Langdale and Broxa. Little is known about this period as it was nearly 1,000 years before the Romans came and we have no written records. But these artefacts do give us a precious and fascinating insight into the life of our ancestors."

The artefacts were recovered by William Lamplough and John Lidster because they feared barrows would be destroyed by the post-war expansion of forestry. Read more (The York Press)

• 09.30 Registration & coffee
• 10.00 Welcome
• 10.05 Retrospective - looking back over 150 years of Roman Yorkshire | Emeritus Professor Jenny Price
• 10.35 Stanwick and the coming of Rome | Professor Colin Haselgrove
• 11.05 Roman York | Dr Patrick Ottaway
• 11.35 The Roman Army in Yorkshire | Dr Pete Wilson
• 12.05 Rome and the Parisi | Dr Peter Halkon
• 12.30 Lunch (not provided but available locally)
• 14.00 The PAS and Roman Yorkshire | Dr Sally Worrell
• 14.30 Human remains from York and Roman Yorkshire | Malin Holst MSc and Dr Anwen Caffell
• 15.00 How green was my Villa? The contribution of environmental studies to Yorkshire's Roman heritage | Dr Allan Hall
• 15.30 Coffee
• 16.00 Overview: Roman Yorkshire today | Professor Martin Millett
• 16.30 General Discussion
• 17.00 Close

Introduction to the science of human origins, the fossil and archaeological record, and genetic ancestry of living and ancient human populations. The course emphasises the ways our evolution touches our lives, including health and diet, and explores how deep history may shape the future of our species.

Workload | 5-7 hours/week, 10 weeks duration

Action Stations | ways to help
 

Bamburgh Research Project

Archaeology for Everyone Fundraising Campaign 2013

Help support independent archaeology in the north-east of England! Join this new crowd funding campaign to access unique rewards and benefits, and help to raise awareness of the wonderful heritage being revealed by one of the most interesting archaeological digs in Britain today.

Watch the project video | 4m 15s

To make a contribution | visit www.sponsume.com/project/archaeology-for-everyone | Runs 8 April to 31 May 2013

Why Bamburgh is Special
Bamburgh, fortress palace of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Northumbria, has been continuously occupied for more than 3,000 years. Since 1996 this legacy has been investigated by archaeologists, students, and volunteers participating in the Bamburgh Research Project’s annual excavations.

Training for All
The summer excavation season and field school provides training in all aspects of archaeological fieldwork and post excavation techniques. Their work has revealed the industrial heart of the fortress, the homes, lifestyle and even the burials of the people who lived and worked in the palace. The Northumbrian royal court was a diverse and international population. The project has begun to reveal the early defences and the sophistication of high status buildings and artefacts belonging to the elite of this ancient capital.
 

About the Project
Bamburgh Research Project is one of the leading not-for-profit heritage groups in the United Kingdom. Their archaeological research is published in peer-reviewed journals and conference formats, but they make a special effort to bring these discoveries to the general public and schools with open days, lectures, community participation digs, school visits and through social media. Twitter, Facebook and their popular blog have reached out to thousands of people locally and internationally and they regularly appear on television shows as well as producing their own high quality films. To continue to do this they need your help!

About the Campaign
Raising money through 'crowd-funding' promotes the exchange of donations for rewards such as exclusive tours of the site or advertisement on the official website. The money raised by this campaign will help the team to:

• Replace old equipment and consumable items
• Continue to train and support the next generation of archaeologists
• Provide opportunities for volunteers to participate in archaeology
• Extend their research capability and disseminate results
• Enhance their work with schools and online

More Info
Website: www.bamburghresearchproject.co.uk
Download: Project Flyer (PDF) | Project Press Release (PDF)
Blog: www.bamburghresearchproject.wordpress.com
Email: fundraising@bamburghresearchproject.co.uk
Twitter: @brparchaeology
 

English Heritage Angel Awards 2013

Celebrate the efforts of local people who have saved historic buildings and places

The 2013 English Heritage Angel Awards are now open for applications. Do please think of people you know who have rescued a historic building, place or landmark at risk and urge them to apply – or nominate them yourself.

The Telegraph newspaper will be featuring interesting entries on their website and everyone who sends in an application or nomination will be entered into a prize draw. Chosen at random, one applicant will receive a break in an English Heritage Holiday Cottage of their choice – see: www.english-heritage.org.uk/holiday-cottages. A second applicant will have a short film made about their rescue project by a professional production company and the first 50 applicants will receive a signed copy of my new book – “Men from the Ministry – How Britain Saved Its Heritage”.

You’ll be giving those you nominate the chance of national recognition for their hard work which will help attract funding and volunteers. Previous shortlisted applicants have hugely enjoyed attending the gala awards ceremony at the Palace Theatre in London and have felt that entering the Angels was far more rewarding – and enjoyable – than they could possibly have foreseen. You will also be helping to bring greater attention to the nation’s heritage at risk.

The deadline for applications to this year’s Angel Awards is Sunday 5th May 2013

We look forward to receiving your applications or nominations and to seeing you at the annual Angels award ceremony at the Palace Theatre on Monday 21st October. This has become a highlight of the heritage year. Please put the date in your diaries now!

Award Categories
The English Heritage Angel Awards are for:

• the best rescue or repair of a historic place of worship
• the best rescue of a historic industrial building or site
• the best craftsmanship employed on a heritage rescue, and
• the best rescue of a listed building, scheduled monument, registered garden, landscape or battlefield, protected wreck or conservation area.

Lots more information, including the all-important application form and details on the eligibility criteria, can be found here: www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/angel-awards/English-Heritage-Angel-Awards

If you’re not sure if your site’s eligible, or if you have any questions, just drop us a line at angels@english-heritage.org.uk

– Simon Thurley | Chief Executive | English Heritage

Pevsner's Buildings of England : County Durham Guide

Revising author seeks input on corrections, additional information and suggestions for new buildings

Work has just started on the revision to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s Buildings of England volume on County Durham.  Former Durham City Conservation Officer and former English Heritage Historic Buildings Inspector, Martin Roberts, is the revising author, and has begun his five years of research and site visits in Teesdale. 

The volume covers the old historic County Durham, before the 1974 boundary changes.  Earlier editions appeared in 1953 and 1983 and Martin hopes his third revision, which will be about 60% larger, will appear in 2018. Work in 2013 will also include Wear Valley and Darlington. The third edition will be published by Yale University Press. 

Martin is keen to hear from anyone who has corrections to the second edition, additional information or has suggestions for new buildings to be included. If you have information, please contact Martin at his new email address martin.fleece@gmail.com or write to Old Fleece House, 20B Front Street, West Auckland DL14 9HW.

 

NE Yorkshire Mesolithic Project | Excavations completed at Goldsborough

The final phase of the North East Yorkshire Mesolithic Project, funded by English Heritage and directed by Tees Archaeology with the North York Moors National Park Authority, saw a two-week long excavation at Goldsborough, near Whitby, in early March. Project director Rachel Grahame commented:

13 March from the Northern Echo | The iconic Old Fulling Mill Museum is best known for being part of what is perhaps the most popular view of Durham Cathedral. Unfortunately, its picture postcard location is also its greatest drawback.

Sitting next to the River Wear, it is liable to flooding. Hidden away on the wooded riverbanks, it is well off the regular tourist route. Hence, the museum attracts only around 8,000 visitors a year. But all that is about to change. In June, the mill will close and its collections will be moved to Palace Green Library, where a new Museum of Archaeology will be created in the Wolfson Gallery.

13 April from BBC News (Tees) |

A selection of recently uncovered 800-year-old recipes, believed to be the oldest ever found, will be served up at a special event next week.

The re-examination of a Latin manuscript, written in the Priory of Durham Cathedral around 1140, revealed several food recipes hidden among instructions for medical ointments and cures. The recipes predate the previous oldest examples by 150 years.

Postgraduate students from Durham University will try to recreate the recipes described in the manuscript at a workshop on Thursday 25 April at Blackfriars Restaurant, in Newcastle, before the dishes are served alongside a lunchtime lecture at the venue on Saturday 27 April.

Planning Rules may affect York's Heritage | Concerns voiced over proposed cuts

11 April from the The York Press | Undiscovered archaeology buried under York could be at threat if the Government goes ahead with proposed change to planning and building regulations.

Under the reforms, householders would not need planning permission to add an extension to a property if the construction was under eight metres long. However, archaeologists are concerned it could threaten future historic finds in the city. Mike Heyworth, director of the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) which has it’s head office in York, said:

"The government’s planning proposals pose a risk to our local heritage. When combined with the potential loss of expertise and jobs being proposed within York City Council’s Conservation department if this change went ahead the impact may be significant for the city".   Read more

Image | Roman Gladiator Exhibition (Editor).

Campaign to Protect Rural England | CPRE issue landscape challenge to Government

8 March | The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) have launched a challenge to the Government to create a brighter future for England’s landscapes.

CPRE’s eight point Manifesto for the Landscape comes at a time of growing pressure on the policies and resources needed to safeguard our finest countryside from damaging change. Andrew Motion, CPRE’s President said:

"David Hockney apparently painted his famous view from Garrowby Hall from memory. But we must do everything we can to make sure that in the future our children will not just know the beauty of the countryside from books and paintings. Our landscape manifesto is a clear challenge to those who currently hold the future of England’s beautiful countryside in their hands that they must do much more to safeguard our matchless landscape legacy."   Read more
 

Since 2007, a team of volunteers from the Bingley and District Local History Society and the immediate area, with the help of the Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Bradford, has been investigating a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age landscape on Bingley Moor in West Yorkshire, characterised by a concentration of rock art (cup-and-ring-marked rocks), cairns, possible walling/boundaries, and the find spots for flint tools.

Investigation has been by desk-based research, topographic, geophysical and walkover survey, followed by two seasons of excavation and post-excavation assessment and analysis, backed up by radiocarbon dating and palaeoenvironmental sampling. The results of all this work have now finally been published as Stanbury Hill Project: Investigation of a Rock Art Site.

1. Vindolanda excavation blog 2013 | Stay up to date with the lastest discoveries
2. The Landscape Research Centre | 25 Years of Archaeological Research on the Sands and Gravels of Heslerton by Dominic Powlesland
3. MAV Museo Archeologico Virtuale (Facebook page) | Fantastic reconstruction videos of Herculaneum and the Roman world | The Central Baths | Click the "next" button to see many more
4. DigVentures blog | No room for archaeology | "According to a new survey from the Society of Museum Archaeologists, 27% of museums have run out of room for archaeological archives. Not only that, but 70% are not able to employ a specialist curator to care for already overstuffed stores, leading to sub-standard levels of conservation and documentation."
5. Mesolithicbuilding | University College Dublin’s new blog (2013) about reconstructing the Mount Sandel mesolithic house as an experimental project
6. Heritage Help advice portal | Expertise offered by heritage organisations and offering support on saving and caring for historic assets | CBA announcement
7. Medievalists.net | Did people in the Middle Ages take baths?
8. Walbrook Discovery Programme | Museum of London Archaeology's excellent blog where you can subscribe to email updates on the latest discoveries (more than Roman) and learn more about the key team players
9. Can You Dig It? | New blog by Maney publishing about archaeology and heritage news
10. Archaeological Collections Areas Database and Map | Society of Museum Archaeologists, 2003 (updated 2013)
    This digital archive contains details of three projects undertaken by the Society of Museum Archaeologists in 2002, 2006 and 2012, and an updated resource for the use of archaeologists working across England.
    

    This is the Archaeological Collections Areas Database and Map, first created ten years ago. The interactive Map provides an easy way to access details of organisations that are accepting archaeological archives (related to Local Authority boundaries) and indicates which areas do not currently have a repository available. It is intended that this information will be regularly checked, and that museum curators and archaeological contractors will report any changes to existing facilities or contact details. The Map also indicates whether or not there is an archaeological specialist at each location and it is planned that this information too, will be updated as appropriate.

    The survey carried out in 2012 investigated a wide range of issues relating to the deposition of archaeological archives in museums, and resulted in a series of recommendations for all archaeologists. The report, Archaeological Archives and Museums 2012, is available to download, alongside the previous survey reports.