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The Modern Antiquarian Forum » Cumbria » Is it possible to contract a geophysics survey? |
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fitzcoraldo 2709 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 10:05
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I should postscript this by saying that there are a couple of inaccuracies in my blog which I have never corrected e.g I got my Simpsons mixed up. cheers f
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StoneGloves 1149 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 10:06
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You're almost certainly right about major Cumbrian monuments lying hidden. If you could find something new, connected with the Shap presently-known stuff, then you'd strengthen any case you're proposing for funding. Fieldwalking usually accompanies geophys and this is less cost intensive. The winter is coming and this is when scattered objects on the ground surface are readily visible. A single field could sample an entire area, in theory. The county archaeologist, Richard, is progressive-minded, which is a great plus, the SMR recorder is very friendly, and Tullie Hse is also a bit avant garde! My approach would be to find some broken wall, get the contract, start work, and then follow sightlines from known monuments. FlashEarth and GoogleEarth can also occasionally yield interesting images that lead to finds. And then there was an old farmer that had a theory about shadows of Cumbrian stones, in circles, which he published, in sections, on the other site. He'd be worth talking to, about Shap, if he is still wired in. Good luck (from Northumberland)!
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 10:12
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I can't measure how much apathy is involved but in their defence a lack of resources and time plays a big part. A couple of years ago EH inspected scheduled monuments once a year but their resources have shrunk since then and are about to shrink alarmingly lower. Climbing up into the wilds to check on a non-scheduled feature just isn't time or cost effective from their perspective. Let's face it, the Govt. has decided, without quite saying so, that heritage protection is a luxury that they're not prepared to support.
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StoneGloves 1149 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 10:12
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Never mind the Simpsons - could you fancy (and perhaps measuring) the four-poster on the outskists of Alston? If I knew you were going - sometime - then I'd post an accurate locational aerial image. I intended to go this summer but am having difficulty walking - need bionic intervention probably - and so didn't get there. It's listed here as Whitehouse and that's the only known photograph, so far. It could be the smallest four-poster known, and is an outlier to a 75m circle a couple of miles away, across the border in Northumbria. (Whitehouse has an SMR number but an unlisted, and unvisited, large round barrow not far away)...
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Creyr 114 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 10:22
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Hey Thanks Everyone! Im getting some great pointers. Thanks fitz for highlighting your blog - i read it a few years ago and will have another look later today. Have you any thoughts on the alleged (by Dr Simpson) Brackenbyre circle? His drawing of 1860ish shows a huge circle (400ft diameter) close to the present Brackenber Farm. This is different from Stukeley's account. My dream today is to somehow get the whole community involved in a Michael Wood style uncover your heritage type project and persuade the big society pursestring holders that it would be a marvellous use of money! I think my first step has got to be finding someone who actually lives in Shap (Im about 10 miles away) who thinks its a good idea otherwise Im just a meddling incomer!
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fitzcoraldo 2709 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 11:17
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Creyr wrote: Hey Thanks Everyone! Im getting some great pointers. Thanks fitz for highlighting your blog - i read it a few years ago and will have another look later today. Have you any thoughts on the alleged (by Dr Simpson) Brackenbyre circle? His drawing of 1860ish shows a huge circle (400ft diameter) close to the present Brackenber Farm. This is different from Stukeley's account. Truth be told no one really knows. Stukeley mentions a spring near the Greyhound with a round Sacellum of 12 stones set by one great stone belonging to the avenue. There are a few large stones in this area but whether they are avenue or circle or both who knows? I corresponded a while with the fella who runs the shap community website, perhaps he'd be a good contact for you. cheers
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Chris Collyer 849 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 11:43
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Creyr wrote: My dream today is to somehow get the whole community involved in a Michael Wood style uncover your heritage type project On the subject of Wood, in his 'Story of England' on BBC2 tonight at 9pm he has a magnetometer survey done and I got the impression that it was carried out by a local archaeolocial group staffed mainly by volunteers (he mentiones that a lot of it was done after work and at weekends). Your best bet might be to find a group that is fairly local that has access to such equipment and try and get them interested in surveying the area, in which case it may be done for free (or at least for the price of supplying them with beer!) -Chris
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Creyr 114 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 11:48
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Thanks Chris. I like the idea of it all being a local thing and laying on the beer. I shall be watching Michael Wood later for more inspiration : )
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Rockrich 448 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 12:47
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Chris Collyer wrote: Creyr wrote: My dream today is to somehow get the whole community involved in a Michael Wood style uncover your heritage type project On the subject of Wood, in his 'Story of England' on BBC2 tonight at 9pm he has a magnetometer survey done and I got the impression that it was carried out by a local archaeolocial group staffed mainly by volunteers (he mentiones that a lot of it was done after work and at weekends). Your best bet might be to find a group that is fairly local that has access to such equipment and try and get them interested in surveying the area, in which case it may be done for free (or at least for the price of supplying them with beer!) -Chris Just following on from what Chris said; If you do locate any local groups that have geophys equipment, find out whether it was purchased through HLF funding. If it was, their agreement will probably state that other groups should be allowed access to it – not that all advertise this though. As I understand it, they can charge for time involved in training, carrying out the survey, interpretation, data cleaning etc, but not for physically borrowing the equipment (or they shouldn’t). I think you’ll also need to approach as part of a group, rather than as an individual. Defo might be worth contacting HLF to see if they can advise.
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StoneGloves 1149 posts |
Sep 30, 2010, 13:31
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^ and then there's intellectual curiosity. If somebody that had worked for twenty x years on traditional stonework had claimed to find something big then there should be support and enthusiasm - not just 'our resources have been cut so much that all that's left is the lunch hour'. Particularly when there's an Heritage Landscape Officer who's job description must include 'welcoming new finds'. The problem here has been the grouse shooting lobby, represented by a late someone who had special dispensation due to fantastic export sales (planes, uniforms and weapons).
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