The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

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Robin Hood and Little John (Standing Stones)

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.

The Long Man of Wilmington (Hill Figure)

Pagan groups protest against filming


The following links provide news coverage of the protests regarding filming at The Long Man in July 2007.

Note:These sources were originally contributed to this page as separate posts by Cursuswalker, but in the interests of brevity, the TMA Eds have taken the opportunity to condense them into one post. Apologies to Cursuswalker.

BBC (02/07/07)

The Independent (05/07/07)

The Express (04/07/07)

Brighton Evening Argus (03/07/07)

Sussex Express (04/07/07)

Sussex Express (02/07/07)

Sussex Express (09/07/07)

Eastbourne Herald (06/07/07)

Bexhill on Sea Observer (04/06/07)

City of Edinburgh

Rhind Lectures - 27th-29th April (Edinburgh)


Living in an age of stone - Gabriel Cooney
The Rhind Lectures for 2007. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

27.04.2007 to 29.04.2007
Free and open to all - no ticket required

This series of Rhind lectures will examine how people lived with stone during the Neolithic in Ireland and Britain, how they engaged with this remarkable material in all its diversity, using it to make new worlds, to establish, maintain and change cultural relationships and connections across geographical space and through time. Material and case studies from stone-using societies in different parts of the world will be drawn on to provide a wider context for the discussion. It will be suggested that looking at the processes of the working of stone, the creation of things, big and small, and their uses provides us with a way of linking objects and monuments which we often tend to see as unrelated phenomena with very different senses of scale and purpose. Focusing on the way in which people engaged and worked with stone provides a new perspective and insight into cultural knowledge during the Neolithic in Ireland and Britain. Free and open to all. No ticket required. For more information, contact [email protected].

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Erin Osborne-Martin
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
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