Shropshire

A BRONZE Age piece of artwork, suspected to be the oldest in Shropshire, has been discovered in Whixall.

The artwork, which has been carved onto a large Permio-Triassic new red sandstone block, shows markings that may connect it with burial chambers or sacred sites.

The discovery was made by James and Jasmine Dowley, of Whixall, while excavating a driveway.

The monolith is in a fine but weathered condition, and is thought to be potentially of regional and national importance.

Peter Reavill from the Portable Antiquities Scheme and local archaeologist Dr George Nash helped appraise the monolith, which is now up for auction later this year.

More: whitchurchherald.co.uk/news/19452043.bronze-age-monolith-discovered-whixall-of-regional-national-importance/

Gold bulla is described as one of the most important bronze age finds of the last century

The British Museum has acquired a shimmering 3,000-year-old gold sun pendant heralded as one of the most important bronze age finds of the last century.

The astonishingly well-preserved pendant, or bulla, was discovered by a metal detector enthusiast in Shropshire in 2018.

Neil Wilkin, the museum’s bronze age curator, recalled dropping everything when he first saw it. “I was absolutely flabbergasted, I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he said. “To me it is the most important object from this period, the first age of metal, that has come up in about 100 years.”

The pendant has been purchased for £250,000 using money from the Art Fund and the American Friends of the British Museum.

More: theguardian.com/culture/2020/mar/04/british-museum-acquires-3000-year-old-shropshire-sun-pendant

They were being laid in the grounds of Soulton Hall, Wem, as part of a wider scheme to create the long barrow next year.

The impressive limestone features, each weighing a couple of tonnes, stand approximately 12 feet high and six feet wide, and are the first step in the building of the Soulton Long Barrow by Sacred Stones Ltd and the Ashton family.

The Soulton Long Barrow was granted planning permission earlier this month and will be made entirely by hand using natural limestone, lime mortar and traditional techniques.

Inspired by those built by our prehistoric ancestors, it will house cremation ashes and will provide a much-needed alternative venue for funerals and commemorative experiences.

It is hoped the barrow will act as a focal point for community to celebrate life, free from the constraints imposed by municipal alternatives. The long barrow will also provide a unique backdrop for educational and creative events.

Managing director of Sacred Stones, Toby Angel, said: “These beautiful standing stones are a precursor to what will be an historic build; the first long barrow in the region for 5,000 years. As well as marking the path to the barrow, these monoliths are our statement of intent and commitment to creating a natural, secular barrow in a rural setting where families can come with no time limitations and celebrate life.

“We established the company in response to our own experience of crematoriums and the frustration of spending longer in the car park than at the service. When we saw the public’s reaction to the Wiltshire barrow and their engagement with the structure there, it encouraged us to form Sacred Stones. In death, as in life, choice is hugely important and grief needs time without constraint. We know, through testimony, this is what a barrow provides and we are honoured that a few local people have already reserved a space for their ashes here.”

Tim Ashton, of Soulton Hall, added: “This is a special day for my family, and the community we serve. It’s hugely exciting to be one of the first farmers to build a long barrow in modern times.

“My family have been stewards of this land for a long time; our passionate connection with Soulton is shared by the many people who live and work around us, and by the many that visit each year.

“By committing to the barrow, we amplify the honour it is to engage with the land, and I passionately believe this important structure will serve the community for generations to come.”

shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/north-shropshire/wem/2017/09/26/three-limestone-monoliths-mark-a-path-to-shropshires-first-long-barrow-in-5000-years/

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“Barker and Jenks discovered prehistoric burial mounds and cremations, slots for standing stones and two rows of Neolithic post holes and a ditch, known as a cursus, which they interpreted as a processional way. It was aligned east to west, extending towards the current church building.

“The current church appears to have incorporated and deliberately built over late Neolithic/early Bronze Age remains. The 15-inch section of post we found was sticking up into the Medieval foundations,” said Janey Green, of Baskerville Archaeological Services.

“It is an incredibly complex site and appears to have been used and re-used for religious purposes for over 4,000 years. It is well known that Christians liked to build churches over pagan sites.

“More work needs to be done but early interpretations indicate that it is the earliest known sacred site in Britain that is still in use today.”

Read more at shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/2017/05/18/dig-finds-oldest-sacred-site-in-the-uk/#3jeResuJxr0OjCLo.99

An engineered road thought to have connected the Wrekin and Old Oswestry hillforts pre-dates R*man construction by several hundred years according to a summation of excavation newspaper reports (regarding Bayston Hill quarry) in the new Fortean Times, FT279

Park Hall Countryside Experience, located near Oswestry, is undertaking a major new project for 2009 with the reconstruction of an Iron Age roundhouse built using traditional methods by local crafts men and women.

There is an important local connection to the Iron Age, for just over a kilometre from Park Hall is the site of the Old Oswestry Iron Age Hill Fort, which is one of the finest hill forts in Britain.

The construction is a ‘work in progress’ and visitors to Park Hall can see each stage as it progresses. The expected completion date is mid/end of May.

Further information can be found at parkhallfarm.co.uk/iron-age-roundhouse/index.shtml