Archaeology in Marlow

Transcription

1 Archaeology in Marlow NEWSLETTER Volume 7 Issue 5, October Forthcoming EVENTS Thursday 29 October 8 p.m. Garden Room, Liston Hall Members Update Show and Tell and Social Evening. Free Entry An invitation to members and friends to bring anything they have which might be of interest to others to discuss and/or display, but this is not a necessity. A chance to see the video of the recent training days at Happy Valley. A chance to meet other members, hopefully new members will come to this to meet the rest of us. Any queries about the evening, please call Gerry on Thursday 26 November 8 p.m. Garden Room, Liston Hall Historic Towns Project - discussion of the Report for Marlow. Free Entry Monday 7 December 8 p.m. Garden Room, Liston Hall Christmas Quiz. Free Entry By popular demand, this has now become an annual event. A prize for the winning team. You don t need to have a team to come to this, just turn up and we arrange teams on the night - but you will need to think of a good name! Nibbles (sausage rolls, mince pies etc) and drinks (mulled wine etc) will be provided. There will be a raffle as usual. If you have any items for the raffle, please either let me know, especially if it needs collecting, or bring on the night. My number is (Ann) Thursday 25 February p.m. Garden Room, Liston Hall A talk by Catherine Grigg (Curator of Wycombe Museum) entitled Chairmaking in the Chilterns members, 3.50 non members.

2 Heritage Open Day Walk Round Happy Valley and Pullingshill Wood 13 th September As part of the English Heritage Open Days weekend activities, the Chiltern Woodlands Special Trees & Woods project team suggested a walk round Happy Valley and the WW1 training trenches in Pullingshill wood to be led by AIM. So, on Sunday 13 th September Gerry Platten and I waited at the entrance to Happy Valley. 5 interested people arrived, including a trainee arborist (specialist in trees) from Sandhurst and a couple from near Twyford who were interested in WW1 history and local flora and fauna. As we travelled, we explained the work which AIM has done in Happy Valley with its alleged history of a Roman vineyard, possible crop marks and other interesting finds. On entering the wooded area some quite old trees were seen, including an infected chestnut tree, a magnificent old oak tree and a splendidly tall cherry tree. Several lines of trees beside the footpath suggest that this may have be ancient track and part of a boundary feature between farmland, a common or woodland. (The diameter of the oak tree was measured and its age estimated at about 160 years. The calculation is: circumference of tree measured about 2m above ground in inches is its age in years, roughly!). Other boundary banks and possible sawpits were noticed. We travelled though the trenches demonstrating all the various features and discussing the events surrounding their construction. Travelling back along the path to Bovingdon Green, where the soldiers camp was built, we noticed several very old concrete fence posts showing where the boundary of the camp could have been. Several circular earthworks in Davenport Wood were seen these may be stock enclosures relating to the original Marlow Common. It was a fascinating day even though I cannot remember the number of different species which we saw! Thanks to all for making it well worthwhile. Dave Greenwood 2

3 Historic Towns Project There was a good turnout of interested people at the Historic Towns Project meeting organised by AIM on Thursday the 17th of September. We discussed polygons, the boundaries of the area the Marlow Report will cover and the format of previous reports. The report will be the definitive management tool for town planners, developers and conservationists. It is hoped that it will be the standard reference book for years to come. So, it is important that is both accurate and informative. To this end, we will congregate again on Thursday 26th of November (see front page). Prior to this gathering, various individuals will look through the Reports already prepared for Haddenham, Beaconsfield, Aylesbury and Buckingham (to see any of these reports, go to then click on Leisure and Culture, then Archaeology, then Historic Towns, then either Aylesbury Vale, Consultation, or South Bucks). The Marlow Report should be available for consultation in early 2010, so if we can comment prior to publication and then comment again following publication of the draft report, we should be able to beneficially assist David Green in his task. Warren Wood update A revised plan has been submitted to Sandy Kidd (Senior Archaeologist for Bucks) to excavate eight 1 metre x 1 metre test pits within the Warren Wood enclosures - four pits in the inner enclosure, four in the outer enclosure. It is hoped that the revised plan will be agreed in the relatively near future, so that we can approach the owners for permission to excavate on the site in late October and November. Hunt s of Marlow For First Class DIY, Hardware and Model Railway Supplies 35 Station Road, Marlow Tel

4 Happy Investigations at Happy Valley Archaeology In Marlow ran a total of eleven training days at Happy Valley during June, July and August and we must thank Peter Ricketts for all his patience, good humour and assistance he showed to us during our visits. We had sought confirmatory evidence of the Iron Age Round Houses Dowsers believed they had located on our previous visits. Our plan was to mark out a 2.5 metre by 7.5 metre trench, but to excavate the southerly third (2.5 metre x 2.5 metre) first. Despite our attempts to locate any evidence of Iron Age Round Houses, we did not find positive evidence of them. Tantalising evidence of drip channels proved to be plough marks and changes in soils were just changes in soils. Of the artefacts found, the snails tended to prove that the site was not pre-historic. We discovered many pieces of pottery, but the vast majority were relatively modern. Otherwise the artefacts were a mixed bag of again mostly modern items. Clay Pipe, Oyster Shell, Pot Boilers, Nails, Pottery Sherds, Coal and Animal Bone all indicated human activity over the last few hundred years, but little suggested human activity in the millennia BC and AD. Therefore the circular features located by the dowsers were probably not Iron Age Round Houses, however their identity remains a mystery. However, the joint objective was to train AIM members in best archaeological practices. This objective was met and the majority of those attending, not only learnt new skills, but also became proficient in them. Apart from trowelling, trench management and protection, drawing, surveying, sieving, artefact identification and washing, still and video photography, measuring, trench maintenance and site health and safety, were all conducted to a very high standard. There is now a team of over a dozen AIM members who are capable of handling most aspects of an excavation of this type. Volunteers, hard at work! 4

5 The River Thames from Henley to Windsor Report of a talk given by Richard Poad to AIM on Thursday 24 September 2009 Richard Poad has been Chairman of the Maidenhead Heritage Centre for the past 15 years and has been the driving force behind the project. The Centre has recently acquired a permanent home in Maidenhead. He was also awarded an MBE for services to the heritage of Maidenhead. He is a retired airline pilot and has owned a narrow boat for 32 years so he knows the waterways intimately. Richard took us along the river by means of photos and paintings and many interesting snippets of information relating to all the villages/towns we passed, however he started his talk by telling us of the current exhibition at the heritage centre Buried Treasure the Archaeology of the Maidenhead Area which displays many archaeological finds around the Maidenhead area including stone axes and bronze age swords. The armchair tour commenced at Henley for this ride down the river with pictures from 100 years ago, he explained that the banks were straightened out for the Regatta so it was a straight run from Temple Island. Hambledon is next up and we were asked to think about what came first: the weir, the mill or the lock. On to Medmenham Abbey, then Harleyford the house, which is now offices was designed by Robert Taylor, who also designed Maidenhead Bridge, then to Temple Lock, showing the footbridge and then an aerial shot taken in 2003 of the floods. Bisham Church was very recognizable as was Marlow Bridge and the plaques fixed below the bridge sigil de desbro This is apparently the date the original wooden beams of the bridge were replaced with steel. Another aerial shot, this time of the Marlow Mill area which Richard told us ground rape seed in the 18 th century. The flash lock was called the Lion s Mouth with the winch at the end of St Peter s Street. On to Quarrywood Hall and further to Bourne End, the photo showing the sailing club. I did not know there was an international airport behind the Quarry Hotel, at Cockmarsh. On to Cookham and Swan Upping, with a painting by Stanley Spencer which Richard told us was painted in two halves, part before and part after the war and the styles are noticeably different. Richard then showed us a picture of Spring Cottage, on the river on the Cliveden estate, which was built as a tea house by the Duchess of Sutherland who entertained Queen Victoria. 100 years later Spring Cottage was rented by Stephen Ward, the osteopath at the centre of the Profumo affair. On to Maidenhead Bridge and the Turner painting featuring Brunel s railway bridge, also to Bray showing the George before it became the Waterside. The aerial view of Dorney Rowing Lake was particularly interesting as it showed its relation to the Jubilee River. We then went to Monkey Island, Boveney and finished at Windsor. Richard showed us three different paintings of the castle, one fairly accurate one with extra turrets and one pure Disney. This is where we disembarked from our tour. It made me stop and think again how much we have on our doorstep that I take for granted and visitors come from miles to stay and visit. Thank you Richard for reminding us of our local heritage. Richard had on sale, for the benefit of the Heritage Centre, maps and books, one of which was a history of the Berkshire Archaeological Research Group by Janet Firth. Richard s talk fee also goes to support the Centre. Normal opening is Tuesdays to Saturdays 10am to 4pm, also on the 2nd Sunday of each month, 10am to 12.30pm (Farmers' Market Day) is info@maidenheadheritage.org.uk. Web site is Richard also gives talks on other subjects. Richard Poad 5

6 ROmadam Project (recording of Marlow & District s ancient Monuments) The last ROMADAM Project interpretation Panel to be officially unveiled was at the Danesfield Iron Age Hill Fort in the grounds of SAS UK. We were delighted to welcome Bucks County Councillor, Robert Woollard, and the Mayor of Marlow, Councillor Neil Marshall to Danesfield Iron Age Hill Fort on Tuesday the 11th of August. Robert gave a short speech followed by Neil. We all then raised our glasses of finest sparkling wine as SAS s Marketing Director, Amanda Koenig, and Neil Marshall unveiled our interpretation plaque (see photo below). We would like to thank SAS UK for all their hospitality, generosity and help, which they have given AIM on all the projects we have undertaken within their grounds. We received good press coverage in the Marlow Free Press, which we much appreciated. Marlow Market Dean Street Car Park, Marlow - Every Wednesday and Saturday, 9.00am pm. A small friendly market offering top quality cut flowers, a full floristry service, a large selection of herbaceous plants and all seasonal plants. Also, large quantities of English and Foreign fruits and vegetables & discounts for bulk orders. Also fresh eggs, pet foods, peanuts and wild bird foods. All enquiries - Di Roberts

7 Roman Roads? AIM is trying to collate all known data of the Roman presence in our general area. Older maps suggest that any Roman Road thought to be running to the north of Marlow may have needed to cross the Thames at Marlow and the major Roman presence in High Wycombe and Mill End might suggest a road structure that could have included Marlow. So, on Sunday the 5th of September a group of AIM members (see photo below) walked the fields between Bisham and the A404 looking for traces of a possible Roman Road. Although the weather was beautiful and the walk delightful, unfortunately we could see no trace of a Road. Our endeavours will continue - all those interested can learn more at our next fieldwork/research meeting (see back page for details). AIM would like to welcome the following new members Rose and Steve Young Phil Moore Alison Meakes Steve Woodbridge Gerry and Rose Palmer Saddle Safari CYCLE SALES & SERVICE Crown Lane, Off Spittal Street, Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Tel

8 Help needed! AIM needs help and ideas, so, if you know of archaeological, or historic, sites you would like to visit and subjects of talks you would like to experience, please either contact any committee member, listed on the back page of this newsletter, or come along to our committee meeting on the 15th of October with your ideas - you will be most welcome. Back in April Dr Anna Williams gave us a talk on Forensic Science in Archaeology. Anyone wishing to learn more about forensics may be interested in the Study Day, advertised below. 8

9 Other Local Events Marlow Society, Local History Group Talk on Monday 19 October 7.30pm - Garden Room Liston Hall, Marlow Photos of Marlow and District by Barrie Lea Marlow Society Talk on Tuesday 27 October 8.p.m. Main Hall, Liston Hall, Marlow The History of Marlow s Railways by Mike Walker Maidenhead Archaeological and Historical Society Wednesday 28 October Neil Hawkins A talk entitled - The Archaeological Dig at Drapers' Gardens, London 8 p.m. King George VI Club, York Road, Maidenhead, Contact is Mrs Fowler Marlow Society, Local History Group Talk on Monday 16 November 7.30pm - Garden Room Liston Hall, Marlow The Growth of Marlow by Janet Smith Marlow Society Talk on Tuesday 24 November 8.p.m. Main Hall, Liston Hall, Marlow The History of Water Transport by Julian Hunt 32 Station Road, Marlow, Bucks, SL7 1NE Telephone: Facsimile:

10 AiM ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP RATES Individual Membership 9.00 or 4.50 if in full time education Family Membership 12.00, School Membership Corporate Membership is available on application AiM Committee Meetings Next AiM Committee Meetings All members are welcome to attend all AiM meetings The Main Committee Meeting pm on Thursday 15th October, at 9 Spinfield Lane, Marlow The Fieldwork/Research Meeting pm Wednesday 21st October, at 27 Sunnybank, Marlow AiM Committee Members Chairman Vacant Secretary aim@knowledgescape.co.uk Kathy Bragg Acting Treasurer 9 Spinfield Lane, Marlow, SL7 2JT annpitwell@thamesinternet.com Ann Pitwell Membership Secretary 12 The Croft, Marlow SL7 1UP Gerry Platten Newsletter Compiler 24 Crabtree Lane, Hemel Hempstead, HP3 9EG Articles to andrew.wallace8@live.co.uk Andy Wallace Field Work Co-ordinator 9 Spinfield Lane, Marlow, SL7 2JT johnlaker@thamesinternet.com John Laker