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Durham and Northumbria: Latest Posts |
Previous 10 | Showing 11-20 of 2,850 posts. Most recent first | Next 10 
Ellsnook (Round Barrow(s)) — Images (click to view fullsize) |
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Posted by mascot14th August 2011ce |
Ellsnook (Round Barrow(s)) — Fieldnotes |
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Finally got to visit this one and to be honest I wouldn't recommend it. First off while it's just off the old A1 and there is parking close by the woodland between the barrow and the road is jungle like with no clear paths - not an easy 100m to get through. Second when you get there, there is very little to see. A semi-circle has been cut in the woods and the records show this as the site of the barrow but there is nothing obvious there - through there is a clear ring of bracken growth so the soil is obviously different. You'd need a full day with an industrial strimmer to see any features. Thirdly the site is close to the A1 so there is lots of noise and very little atmosphere. All that being said there are some points of note: 1) This barrow hasn't been built to be seen from a distance. It's not prominent at all and seems to have been located here either because it was close to water (stream nearby) or close to an ancient trackway. It does lie on raised (slightly) ground. 2) There might be a second barrow in the field between the trees and the A1 (or the original position might have been out and this is the barrow). This looks like an over-ploughed feature on top of a raised area of land - roughly 50m from the marked site. Both can be seen from the A1 if you are passing but don't blink or you'll miss it. On the way back through the trees I came across what looked like a large piece of worked stone - 1m or so in all directions, roughly rectangular and looked like it had split at some time. Not sure what this is/was but it stands out as an "erratic" in that it's very large and has no obvious context. It's on the north edge of the woods near the stream as you work back from the barrow to the old A1. Photos attached. |
Posted by mascot 14th August 2011ce |
Ellsnook (Round Barrow(s)) — Links |
Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, Vol. LXXIII.Describes Cist found in 1921. "In August, 1921, a cist was excavated by Mr. Bosanquet and his son in the parish of Rock. The site is the plantation known as Heiferlaw Plantation on the old edition (Sheet 27, S.W.), and Ellsnook Wood on the new edition (Sheet 29, N.W.). In the cist was found a beaker. The cist was in the top of a mound, and it is thought that it is not the primary interment. The mound is certainly partly artificial. Excavations are to be resumed this summer. (Mr. R. C. Bosanquet, Rock Moor, Alnwick)." |
Posted by mascot 14th August 2011ce |
Heifer Law (Enclosure) — Images |
 
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Posted by mascot 14th August 2011ce |
Heifer Law (Enclosure) — Fieldnotes |
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Finally got a chance to visit here - put up some photos. Field notes follow. I'd put this one down as one to visit mostly due to the lack of any scenery or sense of place until you get nearer the site, then the wonderful views to the west when you get to the site. Very easy site to get to, park on the old A1 at the edge of the woods and walk in. Best to park north of the pathway shown on the OS maps as the road is very narrow here and there's nowhere to pull in. Easy walk in through woodland but no obvious paths so some trail making required. As you follow the rising ground up towards the site it's easy to see that is wasn't built to impress when coming from the East. For a start there is much higher ground to the east. You'll see this as pass the 15th century tower. This is higher than the main site but much smaller in area. Had a look up here (hard going) and no obvious ditches or platforms. As you pass the tower the ground flattens and you can see the end of the tree line in the West. While the site has been over planted with trees these are far apart and don't interfere with viewing the site. Main features of the site are as follows: 1) Double ditch with bank between, very easy to see at the Eastern end, less obvious at the west end where there seems to be one larger bank and single deeper ditch. Bank around 1.5m high at the highest point near the western entrance. 2) Round/Oval in form, around 100m across at the widest point. 3) Number of features inside the ditches, bumps, hollows, etc. What looks like two well features - rectangular holes with iron railings over them. Had a look round the web and this isn't a well feature but the entrance to an underground shelter that would have been used by the British resistance forces if the Germans had invaded in WW2 - link at http://www.coleshillhouse.com/heiferlaw-auxiliary-zero-station.php That's a first for me! 4) What looks like two entrance gaps in the main bank, one to the East (South East), with the most obvious one at the western end. 5) Obviously built with a "western aspect" in mind. When you get to the Western entrance its obvious that the site would have been most impressive and most visible from the west where it would have been approached up a steep slope from the valley. Views from the site to the west go off to other sites such as Jenny's Lantern, White House Farm, Hunterheugh and the edges of Beanley Moor. 6) As with many "forts" in the area the site doen't look like it was mainly built for defence. From the East there is both higher ground and a wide area of flat land outside the ditches and the ditches here look the least impressive. 7) Possible "mound" feature inside the western entrance, but this also has the entrance to the underground shelter in it so could well be WW2 in date to hide the entrance. 8) Worked stone in the western wall - see photo - probably much later in date. The views to the west are stunning and my photos don't do them justice - well worth the short walk from the car. |
Posted by mascot 14th August 2011ce |
Heifer Law (Enclosure) — Images |
   
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Posted by mascot 14th August 2011ce |
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