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Robin Hood and Little John

Standing Stones

News

Heritage Lottery grant to restore Robin Hood and Little John


Castor Parish Council has received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Sharing Heritage grant to carry out archaeological investigations and restoration of some ancient standing stones in the Nene Valley near Peterborough.

This exciting project – Restoration of Ancient Standing Stones 'Robin Hood' and 'Little John' at Ferry Hill – led by Castor Parish Council, has been given £10,000. The current position of the stones will be established. The two stones will be then lifted and carefully and expertly reset. Improvement works to allow public access and viewing will then be carried out. Improvements will include an all-access pathway to an area immediately adjacent to the ancient protected stones and an interpretation board.

Castor Parish Council is keen to protect these ancient monuments for future generations and is equally enthusiastic about the opportunity to allow visitors and local schools to understand more about the importance of the area as a trading and strategic place since Neolithic times. There is extensive evidence of early human settlement in the area but much of it is buried beneath the remains of countless centuries of human activity. These ancient stones stand as tangible evidence of the distant past.

Commenting on the award, Neil Boyce, chairman of Castor Parish Council, said: “We are thrilled that Castor Council has been awarded this grant and we can’t wait to get started.

“We are looking forward to working with English Heritage and Dr Stephen Upex to find out more of the ancient history surrounding these stones which we would not be able to do without the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund.”

Neil continued: “We are really keen to enhance and protect Robin Hood and Little John standing stones, in accordance with the parish council’s commitment to protecting our community heritage, both archaeological and natural. We work closely with our neighbouring parish council of Ailsworth to protect the vast ancient history in the area and the natural wildlife that has benefited from this protection – we are all really excited about telling other people of our findings and sharing our heritage and history with the wider public.”

Robyn Llewellyn head of the Heritage Lottery Fund, East of England, said: “Sharing Heritage is a wonderful opportunity for communities to delve into their local heritage and we are delighted to be able to offer this grant so that Castor Parish Council’s restoration of the Ancient Standing Stones 'Robin Hood' and 'Little John' can embark on a real journey of discovery. Heritage means such different things to different people, and HLF’s funding offers a wealth of opportunities for groups to explore and celebrate what’s important to them in their area.”

Source: Press Release from Castor Parish Council. For further information, please contact Sarah Rodger at Castor Parish Council on 01780 435084, [email protected]

Sharing Heritage is for any not-for-profit group wanting to explore their community’s heritage. With a commitment from HLF of £3m each year, Sharing Heritage grants between £3,000 and £10,000 are available to groups who want to discover their local heritage. Projects can cover a wide spectrum of subject matter from exploring local archaeology and a community’s cultures and traditions to identifying and recording local wildlife and protecting the surrounding environment to managing and training volunteers, and holding festivals and events to commemorate the past.
Posted by TMA Ed
9th December 2016ce

Comments (3)

I'm all in favour of re-erection of stones if there's still the socket marks and packing to act as a guide. Interesting to know the cost. spencer Posted by spencer
9th December 2016ce
I read this post with a lot of interest. The Peterborough area has a rich iron age history at Must farm and Flag Fen, however, is rather short on stones so I decided to break curfew and take a look. I followed the field notes attached to this site and soon was heading down the bank through the undergrowth and finally by putting my coat over my head I was able to push my way through the brambles and bushes to the nasty fence containing the two stones. At this time of year you can just make them out from the parking slots alongside the parks access road (I cheated and used my GPS). My excitement was short lived, as I drew close to the stones it became obvious that not only are they very small but are worked and dressed to make them look exactly like the foundation or corner stone from a building, so much so that one cannot help but question their authenticity (or at least age). Reading further it became clear that they have been written about over quite a long time and therefore they do have some history (I was left questioning how much) and of course I cannot question the archaeologists who have confirmed their provenance and are looking to spend many '000's on restoration, perhaps then it will become more obvious.
Another site says 'Dr. Aubrey Burl believes that they formed part of a prehistoric stone alignment', and you have to be in awe of someone who can deduce that from two small chunks of stone therefore I reserve all judgement and look forward to seeing the completed site.
Posted by costaexpress
1st January 2017ce
Wonder if this is a job for SuperJuamei and his Lidar spencer Posted by spencer
1st January 2017ce
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