Past Newsletters

HADAS DIARY – LECTURE PROGRAMME 2015

Tuesday 10 February 2015 An Assorted History of Singapore: featuring the Mill

Hill connection & the Five Foot Way – Rob Kayne

Tuesday 10 March 2015 To be announced.

Tuesday 14 April 2015 Excavations by Pre-Construct Archaeology at the former Inglis Barracks – talk by Ian Cipin.

Tuesday 12 May 2015 Robert Stephenson (CoLAS Member)

The Knights Templar and their London Connections

Tuesday 9 June 2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Tuesday 13 October 2015 Dr Caroline Cartwright Scientific Methods in Archaeology

Tuesday 10 November 2015 The History of The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Speaker to be advised.

Lectures are held at Avenue House, 17 East End Road, Finchley, N3 3QE, and start promptly at 8 pm, with coffee/tea and biscuits afterwards. Non-members: £1. Buses 82, 125, 143, 326 & 460 pass nearby and Finchley Central station (Northern Line), is a 5-10 minute walk away.

Sunday Mornings at Avenue (Stephens) House…

Continue in the usual vein for post-excavation work. We are now well established in our new basement room, with plenty of racking space already well filled with finds for storage and processing, and books and journals for reference. Much time has been spent on further processing medieval greyware pottery from the Pinner kiln site, with some sorting of the comparable material from Arkley currently being studied in the Wednesday evening classes led by Jacqui Pearce also.

Study identifies prevalence of rickets among 16th century sailors –

New laser technology investigates bones of sailors who perished on Henry VIII’s ship.

(With thanks to Bill Bass for this one) – note the local (Stanmore) connection…

The bones of sailors who sailed on Henry VIII’s Mary Rose ship have been analysed at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore, North London as part of a study by University College London (UCL), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and The Mary Rose Trust.

The Mary Rose was King Henry VIII’s flagship before it sank in battle on the 19th July 1545, resulting in over four hundred men losing their lives. The environment of the Solent meant that the ship and the sailors were preserved in silt, which helped to keep them in remarkably good condition. The sailors’ bones were analysed with Raman spectroscopy, a pioneering, non-destructive laser technology, to identify evidence of bone disease. The application of Raman spectroscopy to the study of bone diseases in historical populations was novel and the work has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Two sets of tibia bones were obtained from The Mary Rose Trust, bones that appeared anatomically healthy and bones that were abnormal in shape. The deformations in the abnormal bones were suspected to be due to a metabolic bone disease such as rickets (the poor diet of the average person in the 1500s would have increased the prevalence of rickets). The results of the Raman study confirmed that the abnormally shaped bones did in fact have chemical abnormalities. The Raman technique shows potential as a tool for understanding the presence and prevalence of metabolic bone disease in historical populations and may have a place in modern-day detection of the condition, with reports earlier in 2014 warning that Britain is seeing a return of Tudor-era diseases.

Dr. Jemma Kerns, RAMAN Clinical Study Manager at UCL and RNOH, one of the scientists who conducted the study, commented: “This is the first time that this laser technology has been used to study bone disease in archaeological human bone. We have identified chemical changes in the bones, without damaging them. There is strong evidence to suggest that many of the sailors had suffered from childhood rickets and we hope to apply the Raman technique to the study of modern day rickets.” Alex Hildred, Curator of Human Remains at the Mary Rose Trust added: “The Mary Rose Trust has the responsibility for the remains of over 179 individuals who perished with the ship. Their provenance is absolute; they represent the crew of an English warship in July 1545. The human remains have potential to make a contribution to the public through research, education, display and interpretation. Their use to confirm the presence and prevalence of metabolic bone disease in the 16th century is one of these contributions.”

The RAMAN study, led by Professor Allen Goodship, was funded as part of a £1.7 million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The bones were measured in a laser facility at the Institute of Orthopaedics UCL. The ‘normal’ bones that were analysed as part of the study were supplied by the Vesalius Centre at the University of Bristol.

Source: www.maryrose.org

CROMER ROAD DIG 2014 Jim Nelhams

During June 2014, we held a dig on the playing fields at Cromer Road School, New Barnet (see report by Bill Bass in November newsletter). Much of the preparation was undertaken by Sarah Dhanjal, who prepared workbooks and visited the school several times to talk to the children.

On the final visit, after the dig had been completed, Sarah was accompanied by Professor Stephen Shennan, Director of the Institute of Archaeology at UCL, who presented the children involved with certificates to record their work. As seen in the picture, the dig was blessed with good weather, a reward for those who freely and voluntarily gave their time.

The following comments have been received from the school staff and children, showing how much they appreciated our efforts:-

“Involving our school with HADAS was an enlightening and exciting experience. Staff, children, governors and parents all became involved and it was a real community event. The amazing pleasure witnessed on the children’s faces when they found hidden objects was a delight and gave us all a sense of history and awe and wonder. I would recommend them without hesitation.”

Helen Schmitz, Headteacher, Cromer Road School

“HADAS provided a unique experience for both myself and my class of 30 Year 5 children. In my 11 years of teaching, working alongside HADAS to carry out an archaeological dig of an area of the school grounds, stands out as one of those enriching learning moments where all children were inspired and where history and geography were brought to life in a very real way. I remember as a child the enjoyment that came from digging and excavating as a way to explore the world available to me and can only wish I had the experience that HADAS provided when I was at school. I would thoroughly recommend them to any school.”

The dig team at rest

Timothy Eke, Year 5 Teacher, Cromer Road School.

The experience my year 5 class had with HADAS was not only inspiring but practical in a way that enabled children of all abilities to access the learning and also brought to life other aspects of the curriculum. For example, measuring perimeter and area, utilising ‘real equipment’, enabled children who sometimes have difficulty in the classroom setting, to see the relevance of these in a real life situation and this moved their learning forward. The team were well organised and their enthusiasm had a huge impact on the children. I would definitely recommend HADAS to other schools.’ Sharon Brennan, Year 5 Teacher, Cromer Road School.

And some comments from the children:-

“So thanks to you, we now know so much more about our school based on the amazing things we found.”

“I have learnt so much in the time you were here and I have gotten more into archaeology. I hope you come again.”

“I really liked that we were learning about how people were living years ago.”

“Thank you all for your help. All of my class loved it and so did I.”

FOOTNOTE — HADAS always tries to reinstate dig sites as near as possible to the way we found them. This includes packing down the earth before replacing the turf. For those unfamiliar with this process, Roger Chapman produced a short video which can be viewed at

http://youtu.be/a5mSMxPZpmU A footnote indeed.

First Lecture of 2015 Jo Nelhams (Secretary)

Many thanks to all those members who attended the first lecture ’The Roman Fortifications in Northern France and their Social Implications’ despite travel difficulties due to the bus strike. The Romans still have their ‘pulling power’ and it was good to see members and meet some, whom we do not see on a regular basis.

JANUARY LECTURE REPORT – LATE ROMAN FORTIFICATIONS AND THEIR SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS – An Interpretation based on Northern France, by Dr. James Bromwich (report by Andy Simpson)

This was a well-illustrated, highly entertaining and thought provoking presentation that got me thinking about all sorts of contrasts and parallels between Gaul and Britannia. The detailed handouts provided to the audience were most useful, too!

With no guidebooks previously available on the remains and defences of Roman Gaul, Dr. Bromwich has now written three since 1996, the latest in 2014 on Brittany, Normandy and the Loire region. In this area ramparts – walled defences – tended to be small, but widespread. The early Roman history of the Imperial provinces covers the time of Augustus, c. 27BC, to Constantine, c.300AD. The Late Empire covers the period 300 to 460 AD, with the collapse of Roman society in the area in the face of ‘Barbarian’ invasions and settlement.

He looked in detail at Nimes and Autun. The ramparts of Roman Nimes, a Civitas (tribal) capital, date to around 15BC, and enclose some 230 hectares, being some 7 km long and enclosing virtually all of the Roman settlement. Some 50-60 hollow circular towers stood in front of the 2m-thick wall, and the deliberately imposing, but possibly non-military La Tour Magne overlooked the ramparts. Similarly imposing was the gate – La Porte d’Auguste.

Autun has 6km of ramparts enclosing all of the Roman town including parts seemingly never built in/occupied. Its circular towers stood astride the wall. The gate, La Porte St-André, reminded AS of the Balkern Gate at Colchester, with its twin main arches flanked by pedestrian archway entrances, with an open gallery above. Comparable in size to the Porta Nigra at Trier. Reims had an earthen rampart but stone gates. It may be that these ramparts were not seriously defensible but were a symbol of Imperial Power. In the 1st – 2nd century AD, the Roman Army fought in the open and didn’t think they needed real defence beyond marching camps and narrow-walled forts as night protection from minor enemies.

The speaker considered the extent and length of fortifications, rampart construction and thickness, tower design and spacing, gate design and military effectiveness. A 2m thick wall did not give a wall walk wide enough for two men to pass easily. Walls of this period often lack deep foundations, not being built to last, with towers spaced at 70m- 90m intervals, too wide for adequate flanking fire, reducing their military effectiveness. These walls were perhaps designed more to assert the prestige and status of the settlement and show the adoption of the new Roman order, which later became less relevant as the Gauls Romanised and became Gallo-Romans.

Late Roman characteristics, on the other hand, featured, in Northern France, widespread and much stronger defences, but with much reduced rampart lengths.

These were sometimes miniscule – less than 1 km, enclosing a core area of just 10-11 ha compared to the early period 200 ha. Walls were thicker – up to 3m – permitting defenders to pass one another on the wall walk.

Small facing blocks (petit appareil) faced a rubble core set in very strong cement, built over foundation courses of large stone blocks (grand appareil) often robbed from earlier monuments, tombs and buildings, as found in the late Roman defences of London and elsewhere in the province of Britannia. Gates had just two arched entrances and flanking towers for better defence, with less emphasis on appearance. Who actually paid for this is unclear, although the army may have provided military engineers in an advisory capacity. As the culmination of a troubled third century, ramparts were the last major public investments in Roman Gaul.

At Bavay, only the forum was walled, an area of barely 2ha. This may reflect social transformation, as described below. The walls of Sens featured the characteristic tile courses, and the ornate façade of the baths was demolished and incorporated into the wall foundations as ‘remploi’, for parts to be recovered in modern times and reconstructed in a museum. Here the walls enclosed 34ha – less than the area of the Roman town. At Le Mans, famous for other things these days, the highly decorated walls enclosed 9ha, being the finest ramparts in Northern France, with some stretches surviving to wall walk level, with solid tower bases. As at London, many tombstones were robbed and incorporated into the wall, with a 90m wide swathe being cleared of earlier buildings to build the walls.

There were very few forts built, exceptions being at Jublains and the coastal defences at Brest; at Jublains the priority was to enclose a granary and two baths complexes, but gaps at the two gates suggest the site was never finished, being constructed c. 270 – 280AD, the same as Le Mans, leaving a theatre, baths etc. outside the walls and undefended. In Northern France in the later period, security was paramount; public buildings were no longer crucial to being Gallo-Roman. Occupation evidence in extra-mural areas indicates significant abandonment, though some occupation did continue. For example at Rennes, 4th century construction included a new road, but old cemeteries were abandoned. Who actually lived in these walled towns? Possibly an elite, army generals or church officials such as Bishops, as well as storing the all-important annona – tax in kind to feed the army. Churches and Bishops appeared from the time of Emperor Constantine after his conversion to Christianity, and in the 390s Christianity became compulsory. However, evidence is thin for churches in 4th/5th century towns and even thinner in the countryside. The Gallic church held regular meetings attended by Bishops, of whom there were less than half a dozen – not all towns had a resident Bishop. There are few villas in Northern Gaul, in contrast to the large numbers found in SW France and the English Cotswolds, for instance. At Amboise, there was third century abandonment, fourth century squatter occupation and fifth century quarrying for building materials; indeed, by around AD300, some 70% of NW French villas were abandoned – a good century before many British examples.

In both countries the actual villa estates frequently continued, possibly to reflect modern local and parish boundaries in some instances. At Viel, a 240ha sacred sanctuary was the largest in NW France, with a huge bath complex which was out of use by the third century. From this time many such sanctuaries declined or went out of use.

The Empire in the third century underwent epidemics of disease, economic and military crisis, with endless short-lived emperors in Rome, and separatist Gallic Empires that included Britannia that collapsed in the 270s. As state rule collapsed, the elite concentrated land ownership and protected themselves and seemingly withdrew from communal religion. They may have moved to the towns, or, it has been suggested, even to Britannia. The town of Sens was even renamed; the link between civitas towns and the surrounding tribal countryside broke down. There was no new public building.

New churches were tiny and not of cathedral scale. From the 290s on there was civil unrest with the bagaudae – peasant insurgents – roaming the countryside attacking and looting. This made it easier perhaps to rebel, and even accept invasion by Germanic tribes, when the poor were abandoned by the moneyed class and ceremonies and festivals no longer shared by all classes as they had been in the open society of pre-Roman times. There was a fundamental change in religious practice and perhaps belief, with an integrated Gallo-Roman religious mix no longer the cement holding society together, being replaced by a narrow local mix of religious beliefs and practices. Even today, the emphasis in France is on your own very local area – the Pays.

OTHER SOCIETIES’ EVENTS compiled by Eric Morgan

Wednesday 18th February, 7.30pm. Willesden Local History Society, St Mary’s Church Hall, Neasden Lane, NW10 2TS (nr Magistrate’s Court). Brents’ Brent Talk by Margaret Pratt & Cliff Wadsworth (W.L.H.S). On the long history of the river.

Friday 20th February Wembley Local History Society NB – talk starts at 7.30, Indians in the Trenches – the contribution they made in World War I

Talk by J Sohal. Visitors £2.

Thursday 26th February, 2.30pm. Finchley Society, Drawing Room, Avenue House, East End Road N3 3QE. Medieval Middlesex – The Archaeological Remains Talk by Adam Corsini (Collections Manager for M.O.L at L.A.A.R.C) Non-members £2. The talk will mainly focus on the archaeology found at South Mimms, and may include findings of an excavation in Regents Park Road as well.

Monday 9th March, 3pm. Barnet Museum & Local History Society, Church House, Wood St, Barnet (opposite museum). Nursing in the First World War Talk by Susan Cohen. Visitors £2.

Wednesday 11th March, 2.30pm. Mill Hill Historical Society, Trinity Church, The Broadway, NW7. Pharmacy – The Journey from Art to Science Talk by Michael Beaman Preceded by AGM.

Wednesday 18th March, 7.30pm. Willesden Local History Society, St Mary’s Church Hall, Neasden Lane, NW10 2TS. The Archivist’s Work Talk by Stephanie Alder (Heritage Collections Manager at Brent Museum & Archives).

Saturday 21st March, 11am – 5.30pm. LAMAS Archaeological Conference Weston Theatre, Museum of London, London Wall, EC2Y 5HN. Recent Work (a.m.) and Recent Finds Research (p.m.). See www.lamas.org.uk/conferences. HADAS hope to have a table there. Early Bird tickets £10.00 pre-1 March, otherwise £15.00.

Wednesday 25th March, 7.45pm. Friern Barnet & District Local History Society, North Middx Golf Club, The Manor House, Friern Barnet Lane N20 0NL. The National Census – A look at a house in Clerkenwell. Talk by Marlene McAndrew Visitors £2. Refreshments & bar open before & after talk.

Thursday 26th March, 8pm. Finchley Society, Drawing Room, Avenue House. Hustings Event – Meeting With General Election Candidates or their representatives. If you wish to submit a question to the panel, please send it to the Editor of the Finchley Society’s Newsletter: Rosemary Coates, 38 Lyndhurst Ave, N2 0LU. E-mail finsoceditor@hotmail.co.uk or call 0208 3681620 by 1st March.

With thanks to this month’s contributors; Bill Bass; Eric Morgan; Jim Nelhams; Jo Nelhams

Hendon and District Archaeological Society Lecture Programme 2015

Tuesday 13th January, 8pm. Late Roman Fortifications in Northern France and their Social Implications. Lecture by Dr.James Bromwich. Author of a number of excellent guide books on the archaeology of France.

Tuesday 10th February 2015 To be announced

Tuesday 10th March 2015 To be announced.

Tuesday 14th April 2015 Excavations by Pre-Construct Archaeology at the former Inglis Barracks by Ian Cipin

Tuesday 12th May 2015 Robert Stephenson The Knights Templar and their London connections

Tuesday 9th June 2015 Annual General meeting

Tuesday 13th October To be announced

Tuesday 10th November To be announced

All the above events, unless otherwise stated, will be held at Avenue House (part of StephensHouse & Gardens), 17 East End Road, Finchley N3 3QE, starting at 8pm, with tea/coffee and biscuits afterwards. Non-members are welcome (£1.00). Buses 82, 125, 143, 326 and 460 pass nearby and it is a 10 minute walk from Finchley Central Station (Northern Line).

Newsletter Editor desperately sought! Sue Willetts

Each month of the year a different HADAS member edits this monthly Newsletter, helped and supervised by Sue Willetts and Mary Rawitzer. We have 11 editors. We need one more.

It’s not difficult, involving mainly putting together items sent by others, though editors’ original articles are also welcome. We supply a helpful hints document and there’s always back-up. Someone out there with a computer: Your Society Needs You!

Contact: Sue (sue.willetts@london.ac.uk)
Christmas Party 2014 – Sorry no room for photographs in this issue!

This was the fourth time this event has been held. Thirty-five members attended which was fewer than in previous years, but still a good number. It was lovely to see some members at the party who, for various reasons, have been unable to participate in other activities of the Society.

Avenue House did us proud with a splendid buffet lunch, followed later with coffees and tea with mince pies. Also Liz (the Chairman’s wife) again made two lovely cakes, one fruit and one Madeira, to celebrate the occasion.

The entertainment consisted of a table quiz based on the First World War, which provided a bit of ‘head scratching’ The raffle had a myriad of prizes donated by various members including ‘The Roman Wine’!!!

Finally Jo and Jim Nelhams provided another musical offering, the sad story of ‘The Goslings’ and reminiscences of being a Wolf Cub and a Brownie. Also the imaginative reactions of the lady who received the presents listed in the carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.’ The lady was not amused!!!

An enjoyable afternoon was had by all, but without the support of the members these events would not happen. Many thanks to all who came.

Obituary for Brian McCarthy Peter Pickering

Brian McCarthy died on 22nd November six weeks before his 83rd birthday. Archaeology (especially Egyptology, and the Romans) was one of the many serious interests of his life. He had been a member of HADAS for over forty years; I remember being driven home by him when we used to have lectures in Hendon Library. He dug with us on various sites, and also dug at St Albans and at Southwark Cathedral. He served on our Committee for a period from 1988, and became our auditor in 1995. His career had been in HM Customs and Excise, dealing with VAT; no doubt he found the HADAS accounts simple in comparison. He had lived in Finchley all his life, and was a member of St. Mary-at-Finchley Church where the memorial service for him was held. He had been a magistrate working in the family court, and on Mental Health tribunals, and among his other interests were skiing, bee-keeping and wood-turning. He was also a steward at the Globe Theatre.

November Lecture – ‘A Hamlet in Hendon’ by Jacqui Pearce – P. Pickering
Our November lecture was given by Jacqui Pearce, who is tutor of the HADAS finds group, and one of the principal authors of our recently published book with the same title as her talk. The class Jacqui has been taking had its origin in the belief of our then Chairman, Andrew Selkirk, that an amateur archaeological society, with proper professional support, could bring to publication the material and records preserved from excavations carried out in the second half of the last century. How right he was!

Jacqui explained how the Finds Group began as a class under the auspices of

Birkbeck College, and first worked on the excavation of Church End Farm, directed by Ian Robertson, which was published as ‘The Last Hendon Farm’. The Group then became independent of Birkbeck College, and undertook a bigger task – working over the archive left by our late Vice-Chairman, Ted Sammes, who excavated Church Terrace in 1973-74 in advance of the building of the Meritage Centre. Ted had described the dig in our newsletter, and published some of the most important finds in our booklet ‘Pinning Down the Past’, but never produced a full report.

Jacqui explained the difficulties in bringing to publication an archive which has suffered some attrition over the years and is from an excavation carried out according to principles which were the best at that time, but which have now been superseded. At that time excavation was spit-by-spit, with finds recorded by depth, rather than the single-context recording now the rule. That meant the Group had to expend a lot of effort in working out the stratigraphic relationships of the finds. Members of the Group also used evidence from old maps and pictures to find out about the lives of those who lived on the site, and drank at the Greyhound pub, especially in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is clear that the people who lived on the site in recent centuries were in modest circumstances, but far from destitute, and possessed some attractive trinkets. Jacqui showed more recent pictures too – the older members in the audience recognised some of the diggers.

The lecture took us through the whole history of the site, from the flints left by hunter-gatherers, through the large number of Roman pottery sherds (probably from agriculture, since there was no trace of a Roman structure) and the strong evidence of a Saxon presence (which would have gladdened the heart of our founder, Themistocles Constantinides), to the conquest period greyware pottery. Pottery continues through the mediaeval period, with a reduction after the thirteenth century, which it is tempting to connect with the Black Death (though that does not seem to have hit Hendon hard). Jacqui had slides of some of the pottery sherds which were found; very helpfully she added illustrations of complete pots of the same type and fabric from the collections of the Museum of London; for a moment, before I realised what was happening, I thought ‘Did HADAS really find such impressive things?’. From the eighteenth century onwards there is evidence of buildings as well as pottery and small finds; perhaps most interestingly, a pit containing bottles, probably thrown away by the landlord of the Greyhound. There were many intriguing small finds – an artillery officer’s button, an Ally Sloper pipe, Lamplough’s pyretic saline – each with a story to tell. Jacqui also showed us the three graves which were found but vandalised over one night; why were they buried outside, but so near to, the churchyard?

Jacqui’s lecture was admirably clear, going into just about the right amount of detail, and her slides were very attractive. I could say much more, but rather urge you to READ THE BOOK, from cover to cover, which you must if you were not at the lecture and want to know who Ally Sloper was.

All right, I know you have read it, but you may know someone who hasn’t. It is ABSOLUTELY FREE as one of HADAS’s many benefits to members.

HADAS Members at Pinner
Since the beginning of October 2014 HADAS members have been spending two days a week at Gunnersbury Park Museum helping to record the finds from the medieval kiln site at Potters Street Hill, Pinner, excavated in 1975. There are not many medieval kiln sites recorded in Greater London and this site which is dated to 1280 has by far the largest quantity of medieval pottery sherds and is therefore an important reference site. The finds from this excavation have been stored in the cellar at Gunnersbury Park Museum for many years. They were probably stored there because the now defunct West London Archaeological Field Group processed the sherds there and there the sherds stayed. Alison Laws of the Museum of London was also involved.

Gunnersbury Park Museum is “supported” by Ealing and Hounslow boroughs, but the excavation took place in Harrow. A recent Heritage Lottery Fund grant is going towards the refurbishment of the house and museum – see Hounslow web site:

http://www.hounslow.info/arts-culture/historic-houses-museums/gunnersbury-park-museum/ for full details of the project.

The consequence is that they need to find a new home for the Pinner finds. These finds have languished in the cellar at Gunnersbury for a long time and are not in a good state – the boxes (some the original ones from the dig in 1975) are rotten, damp and vermin eaten. It was decided to reprocess them to current MOLA standards, recording, re-bagging, boxing and re-labeling. Richmond Archaeological Society (RAS) and HADAS have volunteered to do this task, supervised by Jacqui Pearce of MOLA who was given a 10- day project in support. There were 148 boxes of pottery sherds which needed to be identified, measured, weighed, recorded, bagged and relabelled, to be completed by 27th November.

Initially there was nowhere for the bulk of reprocessed finds to go. There was a suggestion that Harrow museum would take some, but the museum itself appears to be under threat and it is possible that they won’t be able to take any. The rest would have gone to landfill had it not finally been decided that MOLA would collect all reboxed sherds on or after the 27th November.

It seemed likely that the task would not be completed by the 27th November, and therefore HADAS will probably bring the remainder to Avenue House on a temporary basis to complete the processing.

Unfortunately the limited timescale has, of necessity, curtailed the scope of detailed recording of the data from this site. However, with the finds safe and a database of as much data as we have managed to record. The sherds from Pinner Medieval pottery kiln live on to be further analysed another day.

The project is of special interest to HADAS, as our finds class is currently processing the relatively small amount of medieval pottery sherds (8 boxes) from a medieval kiln at Arkley, kindly lent to us by Barnet Museum, again under the direction, tuition and supervision of Jacqui Pearce. It is hoped that we will be able to do chemical and thin section analysis on both sites to establish the source of the clay and the tempering used. A comparison of the forms of vessels thrown at these sites will tell us more about the sorts of pottery being used in what is now the North London area in the 13th century.

Thanks are due to all the volunteers involved: From RAS: Fred & Dot Flemen, George &

Yvonne Masson; from HADAS: Sigrid Padel, Geraldine Missig, Fiona Haughey, John

Marshall, Liz Gapp, Bill Bass, Mary Salton, Don Cooper; and two other volunteers Helena Costas and Lynne Darwood. Of course there was also Jacqui Pearce, without whose help this project would not have been possible.

Notice about a Taster course on Archaeology at the City Lit

by Jill Hummerstone.

Saturday 25th January- Price from £15. This is a fun and informative day, and a chance to get to grips with some real finds. This could be your opportunity to introduce friends and family to the joys of archaeology, or brush up on your own interests http://www.citylit.ac.uk/ Temple of Mithras oral history project.
Did you visit the excavations in 1954? If so the project team would like to hear from you. The project marks 60 years since the discovery of the Roman Temple of Mithras. The excavation captivated public imagination with an estimated 400,000 people visiting the site to glimpse the remains. The project plans to celebrate the memories, ephemera and pictures of the visitors. oralhistory@mola.org.uk or tel. 020 7410 2266.

OTHER SOCIETIES’ EVENTS Eric Morgan
Wednesday 28th January, 7.45pm, Friern Barnet and District Local History Society, North Middx. Golf Club, The Manor House, Friern Barnet Lane, N20 0NL. The History of Shredded Wheat Cards, Talk by Colin Barratt. Visitors £2. Refreshments.

Sunday 1st February, 10.30am Heath and Hampstead Society. Meet between the Old

Kitchen Garden & English Heritage Staff Yard, East of Kenwood House, off Hampstead

Lane, N6. The Hidden Heath. Walk led by Michael Hammerson. 2 hours. Donation £3.00

Monday 9th February, 3.00pm. Barnet Museum and Local History Society. Church House, Wood Street, Barnet (opposite the Museum). Friern Hospital. Talk by David Berguer (Chair Friern Barnet & District LHS.) Visitors £2.

Wednesday 11th February, 2.30pm. Mill Hill Historical Society, Trinity Church, The Broadway NW7. History of Chelsea Physic Garden. Talk by Letta Jones.

Wednesday 18th February, 7.30pm. Islington Archaeology & History Society, Islington

Town Hall, Upper St, N1 2UD. The Caledonian Park Clock Tower Project. Talk by Chris Harriades. A study to prepare for conservation plans of this Grade II listed tower found ‘significant archaeological potential’ including the possible remains of Copenhagen House. Visitors £1.00

Thursday 19th February, 7.30pm. Camden History Society. Burgh House, New End Sq. NW3 1LT. What Happened to the Heath after 1871? Talk by Helen Marcus. Visitors

£1.00

Friday 20th February, 6.30pm, Wembley History Society, English Martyrs’ Hall, Chalkhill Rd, Wembley HA9 9EW (top of Blackbird Hill). Indians in the Trenches: the contribution they made in WWI. Talk by J. Sohal. Visitors £2.

Friday 20th February, 6.30pm. Friends of the Petrie Museum, UCL Lecture Theatre, Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Sq. The Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project.
Rescuing History: The American Research Centre in Egypt’s efforts to record Sheikh Abdel Quma. Talk by Andrew Bednarski.

Wednesday 25th February, 7.45pm. Friern Barnet & District Local History Society. Address see 28th Jan event. A Look at John Betjeman. Talk by Terence Atkins. Visitors £2.Refreshments / bar.

No. 525 December 2014 Edited by Don Cooper

May I on behalf of the HADAS community wish you and yours a very happy holiday and a healthy, prosperous and happy 2015. Happy Christmas, Editor
HADAS Diary
Sunday 7th December, 12 noon – 4.30 pm (approx.) HADAS Christmas Party. Buffet lunch.

Tuesday 13th January, 8pm. Late Roman Fortifications in Northern France and their Social Implications. Lecture by James Bromwich.

All the above events, unless otherwise stated, will be held at Stephens House & Gardens (formerly Avenue House), 17 East End Road, Finchley N3 3QE, starting at 8pm, with tea/coffee and biscuits afterwards. Non-members are welcome (£1.00). Buses 82, 125, 143, 326 and 460 pass nearby.

Finchley Central Station (Northern Line) is a short walk away.

Summer Outing Reminder

A reminder that the closing date for bookings and payment of the deposit of £100 is 15th December. We have sufficient people for the trip to go ahead, but it would be nice to have a few more.

At this time, we have booked all the rooms in the hotel, but we need to confirm by the end of December how many we actually require.

“A Hamlet in Hendon” by Don Cooper

This latest HADAS book is the excavation report and story of a dig by HADAS in 1973/74 at Church Terrace Hendon. The book is free to members, so that if you haven’t collected your copy you can do so at The Christmas party.

Including postage and packing the book costs about £5 per copy to post. If you can’t collect your copy at the Christmas party, please tell us by email or letter if you want us to post it to you.

Stepping into Britain: The early Human Occupation of Northern Europe

by Roger Chapman

When did the first humans arrive in Britain? Where did they come from? And what did they look like? These were the questions addressed by Dr. Nick Ashton a curator at the British Museum specializing in Lower and Middle Palaeolithic archaeology at the October 2014 HADAS lecture.

Nick drew on the work of the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain (AHOB) project of which he is the Deputy Director. http://www.ahobproject.org/ The project began in 2001 involving a collaboration of scientists from many disciplines. Until this project the evidence pointed to the first human habitation of Britain occurring some 500,000 years ago. This new project based on finds mainly from the eroding Norfolk and Suffolk coastline, pushes that timeline back to near one million years ago for the first humans roaming Britain. Evidence from the presence of simple stone tool technologies for humans in southern Europe can be found from 1.5 million years ago. Fragmentary human fossils dating to just over one million years old have been found in southern Spain at Orce and Atapuerca – these have been assigned to the species Homo antecessor, or ‘Pioneer man’.

So what is the evidence for the first humans in Britain?

Eroding cliffs on the coasts of Norfolk and Suffolk have exposed thousands of fossils of mammals such as mammoth, rhino and hippo. The bones have been recovered by fossil collectors over the past 250 years from the black muds, sands and gravels of the Cromer Forest-bed. The AHOB project in excavations at Pakefield in Suffolk and Happisburgh in Norfolk continued to make such finds but also discovered flint tools that chart the presence of early humans over 800,000 years ago, making it the earliest evidence for people in northern Europe.

What was the climate like at this time?

There are a number of techniques for understanding environmental conditions in the pre-historic past. The changing ratio of two oxygen isotopes – one accumulating in ice, the other in water evaporating from the oceans – shows a saw tooth pattern through time with sequential cold and warm climatic phases; glacial and inter glacial periods. Biostratigraphy focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them. The study of animal and plant remains gives a good indication of the temperature ranges at the time. Drawing on this evidence and others Nick suggested that the Pakefield finds of 700,000 years ago occurred in a noticeably warmer climate than today – or ‘Costa del Cromer’ Mediterranean type conditions. Happisburgh conditions, over 800,000 years ago were more akin to those of southern Scandinavia.

Footprints in the mud

In May 2013 following a storm a large area of exposed mud was found on the beach at Happisburgh. On the beach that day was Dr. Martin Bates who had undertaken work on human footprints at Borth near Aberystwyth in Wales. He recognised that the impressions in the mud were human footprints – at over 800,000 years old they are the oldest footprints in the world found outside Africa.

How were early humans in Britain adapted to the changing climate?

There is still much debate on this topic. Dr. Nick Ashton suggests that in the period over 500,000 years ago human occupation of Britain was sporadic, based around scavenging with humans having functional body hair for warmth, no clothing, no fires and no shelters. By contrast in the period after 500,000 years ago occupation was sustained, with hunting, clothing, shelters and use of fires evident.

The AHOB project has considerably increased our knowledge of the human occupation of Britain. There is scope for much further study of the pre glacial deposits along the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts which could reveal much more. Attention is also moving to offshore sites in Norfolk which diving teams will explore over the next few years – perhaps opening a new chapter in the story of humans in Britain.

Jack Newbury: An Appreciation By Mary Rawitzer

Last month we were sad to report the death of Jack Newbury just one day before his 95th birthday. A number of HADAS members were among the many mourners at his funeral on November 5th. Jack’s importance within HADAS was not just as the printer of our Newsletter for so many years, but as a constant supporter of the outings and events organized by his wife, Dorothy, almost since the time she joined HADAS in mid-1972 (along with their children, Marion and Christopher, in HADAS’s “Under-18” category ).

Jack was born in Bloomsbury on October 19th 1919 into a family of printers, but his connections with what is now Barnet were strong: in the early ‘30s the family moved, as one of the first householders, to John Laing’s new Golders Green Estate. Having served a proper (paid for!) apprenticeship at the Dispatch Press in Cricklewood, publishers of the Golders Green Gazette, he worked as a qualified journeyman printer until being called up in 1941. Before he was sent overseas he and Dorothy married in 1942 (their 70th wedding anniversary celebrations in 2012 included congratulations from the Queen). Demobbed in 1947, Jack set up as an independent printer in Cricklewood. Next his Hillary Press moved to a small factory/stable in West Hendon, then finally they purchased the printing works of the Hendon Times in Church Rd, now a repository of a marvellous collection of old printing machines as well as more up-to-date equipment.

Jack was a very active member of Rotary and his knowledge – and singing – of old music hall songs was legendary. He could appear brusque and acerbic, but in fact was always incredibly helpful to HADAS and to many, many people. His delightful booklet, “The Life & Times of J.V.Newbury. Esquire”, up-dated this year, was given out at the funeral and those who weren’t there can get a copy from Christopher Newbury at Hillary Press, telephone 020 8203 4508.

Some people have asked about donations in Jack’s memory: these can be made on-line at: http://memorygiving.com/jacknewbury.

Ann Trewick – who died recently by Sheila Woodward

The year after I joined HADAS (1974) I experienced one of its Long Weekends: a three day trip to Hadrian’s Wall. We were based at Twice Brewed and I shared with Ann Trewick. I soon discovered that Ann was an enthusiastic and regular digger who had taken part in several HADAS excavations. She was always essentially a hands-on archaeologist: active, energetic, and practical. Even after she moved her home to Felixstowe she maintained her contact with us and would invariably meet us when we visited sites in that area. The great excavations at Sutton Hoo kept her busy and gave her enormous pleasure. We took a HADAS group there on at least three occasions.

Ann and I continued to exchange “new reviews” each Christmas. I shall certainly miss her.

Editor’s note: Ann was elected on to the HADAS Committee at the AGM held in May 1972 and remained on for many years.

Exhibition at Guildhall Art Gallery by Jim Nelhams

After visiting Tower Hill to view the poppies, Jo and I made our way to the Guildhall and visited the Art Gallery situated on the east side of the courtyard area.

Our reason was to look at an Exhibition about Tower Bridge, which is celebrating 120 years since its “opening” in 1894. What an interesting exhibition it turned out to be. Quite a few paintings showing the bridge, including the opening ceremony, but most interesting were a number of photographs taken during construction (in 1892/3). There are also some of the bridge designs that were rejected.

We also visited the Roman amphitheatre in the basement.

The exhibition (and amphitheatre) is free of charge and runs until 5th January, 2015.

Excavation at Martin School, Finchley, August 2014 by Bill Bass

For background and a location map on this dig please refer to the July 2013 Newsletter, No. 508 and Oct 2013, No. 511. The school lies on the east side of High Road (Great North Road), East Finchley, grid ref TQ 27002/89970, the site code is MPS14.

After unexpectedly discovering the buried air-raid shelter in the playing field of the school in 2013, we decided to return in August this year to further investigate the main entrance of the shelter of the High Road and to check out some earthworks in the NW corner of the playing field.

Using a 1946 RAF aerial photo which shows the shelter intact, we plotted and triangulated more or less where the main entrance passage should be. We then carried-out a resistivity survey over the likely area using baselines from the 2013 dig. This showed high resistivity of the north-south shelter passageway (which we knew of) adjacent to the High Road, a passageway at leading at right-angle from this (which we suspected from slight earthworks) and a wider patch of high resistivity just to the north where we thought the entrance and reception was.

Trench 8

Whilst the above surveys were being done we decided to machine-out a section of the NW corner of the shelter. While we have used machines on digs before, this is (I think) the first time we have deliberately hired a mini-digger for the purpose. The result of this was a 2.00m x 3.00m trench exposing both sides of shelter passageway running E-W, this would have joined the N-S passageway in this corner (see map), we did not see evidence of a ‘side’ entrance in this corner (although we suspected one from the aerial photo), but space was a bit limited for further investigation with nearby fencing and trees so we had to leave it at that. The walls (1.40m apart) were similar to those found in the 2013 excavations with concrete shuttered construction, the roof had again been demolished leaving the cut reinforcement rods exposed, the top of the walls are at around 87.30 OD. Some investigation was done to try and find stencilling as seen in previous sections but none was seen.

The finds from trench 8 were fairly mixed and topsoil in nature including iron fittings, some Refined Whiteware (china) and earthenware pottery, the glass included a complete milk bottle marked ‘LWD’ (⅓ pint) with some further bottle glass and window glass. Animal bone had samples of a femur-head from a possible pheasant and a fragment of sheep/deer long bone with evidence of cut marks.

Trench 9

When the surveys were in, a trench of 4.00m x 1.00m (orientated N-S) was placed over an area which (we hoped!) took in an underground passageway, the main entrance way from the High Road and possibly some stairs/reception room into the shelter complex. Once again the mini-digger was deployed, topsoil [001] of approx 35-40cm lay over a mixed rubble context of approx 36cm [002]. Below the rubble at the southern end of the trench the top of a further shelter wall was encountered running E-W, this was a northern section of passageway wall (see map) as predicted, (the southern section was unexcavated, but assumed). This wall levelled in at 87.39m OD which fits fairly well with levels from the top other shelter walls around the site.

At 3.00m further north in trench 9 another wall was revealed; again this ran in an E-W direction. The difference was that this wall was brick built, red and yellow bricks laid in English Bond style being 23cm wide. This wall lined-up with the main entrance of the shelter as seen on the 1946 photo and resistivity survey, it also lined-up with a convenient entrance size hole in the present day tree/bush line boundary beside the High Road. However, one wall does not an entrance-way make, so a 2.50m trench extension was made northwards, lo and behold a similar brick built wall was found 1.40m north of the original. These had been demolished to a level of 87.21m OD (approx 64cm below turf-line). Between the walls was a stiff re-deposited clay, a small sondage pit was dug beside the brick walls 47cm in depth revealing at least 10 brick courses, plus approx 50cm of auguring beyond that showed no signs of foundation or flooring. But it seems there could have been steps leading down into the shelter as a Civil Defence Emergency Committee minute (12th August 1941) mentions – “Deep trench shelters: entrances changed from ramps to steps, approved”.

So we’re fairly sure we have the line of the main entrance way leading down into the complex. On the aerial photograph there appears to be a roof (concrete ?) of a shelter entrance approx 6.00m long E-W and 1.70m wide adjacent to the southern side of the entrance stairs. This was situated in the middle of the shelter system. Unfortunately we could not find any evidence for this, the superstructure would have been demolished and we saw no foundation for it, only the re-deposited clay as mentioned above. There is a slight possibility that it was using the walls of the main entrance wall and the trench passageway (to the south) as the foundation, some of the reinforced concrete iron-rodding indicated a possible dual use, but this was difficult to prove.

Finds from trench 9 (the overlying contexts 001 and 002), are similar to trench 8 and indeed from the rest of the site including assorted metal objects, pottery, glass and some clay-pipe stem. There were two coins, one George VI sixpence, (1944?) and one George V penny (1935?). A full list of finds lies with the archive.

Summary

Targeted resistivity/earthwork surveys and excavation has revealed the various passageways from one end of the complex to the other. The main brick-built entrance way from the High Road has been found in line with photographic and survey evidence, although the doorway into the system proved more elusive. Experience was gained on the hiring and use of digging machinery on-site.

Research evidence

Continuing research by Roger Chapman through various Civil Defence committees show that through late 1939 and into 1940 there was a continuing problem with flooding and water ingress into the shelter. Several ideas were explored including automatic water-pumps, lining and waterproofing the walls, none of the solutions proposed seem to be fully satisfactory.

A further problem was damage caused to equipment in the trench shelters, the Town Clerk gave instructions for fencing to be erected, with the necessary gates and locks around the shelter.

In August 1940 Mr C J Mathews on behalf of several residents in Chandos Road submitted an application to construct a gateway in the fence at the rear of his garden giving access to Martin School playground in order that residents in question might use the school shelters. Committee gave it very close consideration but refused the application.

Acknowledgments

MARTIN SCHOOL: Roger Chapman, Tristan Green, Helen Morrison.

HADAS members on-site and those who helped process the finds.

Roger Chapman: ongoing research of air-raid structures through the Borough of Finchley Council minutes.

Continuing Day 3 of HADAS holiday 2014

Steam amongst the shingle by Andy Simpson

The whole Kent trip was delightful but readers will be unsurprised to learn that this trip along part of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway was a particular highlight for me!

Originally opened in July 1927 by wealthy motor racing enthusiast Captain John E P Howey, this 15-inch gauge line runs for 13 and a half miles from Hythe to Dungeness (www.rhdr.org.uk) ; our 35-minute trip covered the southern-most five miles from Dungeness – and all around the terminus loop there – to the centre of operations (including museum – with replica wartime armoured train – , shop and engine/carriage sheds and workshops) at New Romney.

A good preview was the view from the top of ‘Lydia’s Lighthouse’ showing the huge expanse of shingle and holiday homes, including several still built around late Victorian and Edwardian wooden-bodied standard-gauge railway carriages that have been there since the 1920s/30s.

Even in five miles, the scenery is constantly changing – from open shingle beaches and the sea, to the Dungeness nuclear power station several of us had visited an hour or so earlier, to suburban streets (and level crossings) and back gardens, to open green fields and woods.

Rather to my surprise, the railway was a hive of activity, even this early in the season; we saw no less than three steam engines in operation (from a fleet of eleven), plus one of two modern diesel locos. And to appeal to the trainspotter in me, they were all consecutively numbered!

No 9 ‘Winston Churchill’ – our loco from Dungeness to New Romney, looking striking in its overall red colour scheme; like No 11 it is ‘Canadian style’ ‘Pacific’ (4-6-2) and was built by the Yorkshire Engine Co in 1931, being named Winston Churchill in 1948 for a trip to Canada

No 10 ‘Dr Syn’ Named after a fictional local Parson and smuggler, and another Yorkshire product of 1931, but recently modified with taller boiler fittings to better match the height of the cab.

No 11 ‘Black Prince’ Built by German firm Krupp in 1937, and formerly operated on a park railway in Cologne (where it was known as ‘Fleissig Lieschen’ – roughly translated as ‘Busy Lizzie’, being imported to the UK in 1976.

No 12 ‘John Southland’ (the diesel) Built by TMA Engineering of Birmingham in 1983. One of two purchased for working Kent County Council schools traffic from New Romney to Burmarsh road, some four-and-a half miles away; we got to New Romney just in time to see the daily departure.

And now I really must get back and do the rest of the line!

A mystery grave stone by Don Cooper

And then to the St Clements at Old Romney one of the oldest churches in Kent dating from the 12th
century (although there is apparently evidence of an older 8th century structure). The church is full of unusual architectural features.

However, what caught my eye was an unusual grave stone (see photograph)

The stone, which is surrounded by a probably later tiled floor, is said to represent a double-handed sword with four thick and four thin sized chevron shapes coming out on either side of the blade. They are said to possibly represent rays of light (see Kent Archaeological web site: http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Libr/MIs/MIsOldRomney/01.htm).

It is most likely dated to the 13th century although other authorities suspect it is from the 8th century.

An alternative view from British History (Volume 8) online is that it not a sword but a Christian cross. This kind of cross is referred to as an archiepiscopal cross. It is used to signify an Archbishop as the name implies, but who knows what the chevrons mean!

It is so well preserved as to cast doubt about its authenticity and it is unlikely to have been in its present position since it was laid.

The Norman family that owned the advowson of the church in the late 13th century were the Fitz Bernard’s and there is no record of them having been buried in the church.

Can anybody throw any more light on this mysterious and intriguing grave stone?

Jim Nelhams adds – Perhaps the strangest thing about St Clements is the colour scheme.
A film was made based on the exploits of Dr Syn. The film company wanted to use St Clements, and requested that they be allowed to paint the walls and pew in a pale pink colour, promising to restore the original colours after filming. In fact, the parishioners liked the new décor and requested that it be left.

Kent day 4

After our busy day around Dungeness, Wednesday included a visit to Sandwich (at lunchtime) and only three other scheduled visits.

The Roman Painted House by Lydia Stanners

I have not lived in this corner of South East Kent since 1966 but it still feels very much like home to me. The Roman Painted House, mid 2nd C AD is contemporary with The East Wear Bay Roman Villa at Folkestone which members may recall our society visited two years ago. I grew up in a house just opposite the site of the latter. What you can’t win is a connection to a very special place and the Roman Painted House is just that for me, it brings the East Wear Bay Villa to life and vice versa.

Substantially excavated in 1971 by Brian Philp, of the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit who runs the museum in his retirement today, the construction of the climate controlled cover building was largely paid for by donations, following an appeal to the public, and opened in 1976. Past visits I have led with amateur archaeologist friends have had the benefit of a talk from a professional guide but this time it was given by an enthusiastic volunteer. Of course human beings seldom get things absolutely right, but it did help to highlight the history even is some of the facts were a little askew.

The remains of the first smaller Painted House, built mid-2nd C AD probably in the time of Classis Britannica has 3 extant rooms, some with painted walls. This was succeeded by a much larger house, perhaps early 3rd C AD with underfloor and wall heating from furnaces at the centre of one side of each room. The wall paintings were of the highest art form, almost 3D and appear, in the main, to be dedicated to Bacchus, God of Wine, which may give some idea of the use of the building! Possibly due to increasing hostile incursions it is conjectured that the Roman Army demolished the much smaller Classis Britannica defences, around 276AD, and built the massive Dubris Saxon Shore Fort across a previously civilian settlement. This led to the demolition of the upper section of the Roman Painted House and a defensive wall being constructed through rooms 2 and 3. The rest of the building was buried beneath a rubble and clay seal which allowed the survival of the walls, flooring and murals. Over 2000 plaster fragments were found on site and preserved.

Apart from the Painted House exhibition, the building is a treasure trove of information on Roman Dover with information boards and artefacts excavated by the Kent Archaeology Rescue Unit. I particularly liked the Bronze hand holding an orb and eagle found in 1970 locally, perhaps originally the top of some form of standard or similar. At the lower level, tucked away in a corner, there is an interesting medieval burial in a lead-lined coffin found in nearby St Martins le Grand in 1974. It bears a little message “placed on view by public request”. Well done Mr Philp and all his unknown helpers, for giving this exhibit space and keeping the little treasure that is The Roman Painted House open to the public.

Walmer Castle by Ken Sutherland-Thomas

The group’s exploration of Kent continued with a visit to Walmer Castle and Gardens. Situated near to Deal Castle, it overlooks the English Channel and was built during the reign of Henry VIII. It was originally built as part of a chain of coastal artillery defences and provided state of the art means for warding off attacks from sea-borne invaders.

An audio guided walk is provided at reception and is very informative and well produced.

Much of the castle’s original military purpose has become redundant over the years, and it has been made comfortable as the official home of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Many of the rooms used by the Duke of Wellington (when he was the Warden) are still furnished as in his time, and contain artefacts such as a pair of his boots (!) and the armchair in which he died.

The Queen Mother was also a Warden as was Sir Winston Churchill. The Queen Mother was associated with the beautiful gardens in which the visitor can walk and admire.

As with many English Heritage properties, a cosy café with outside seating is available as is a well-stocked gift shop.

Sandwich by Peter Pickering

On to Sandwich, the third of the five Cinque (pronounced ‘sink’) Ports we visited. My old ‘Pevsner’ (actually by John Newman, and recently fully revised) says: “Sandwich could make a bid for the completest medieval town in England. A walk round it yields many pleasures . . . [but it is not] easy to find a rational route through the town.” I agree with the last observation, to which I would add the difficulty of avoiding the cars in the narrow streets. HADAS members explored the town separately, or in small groups, and discovered different places and buildings to admire (or take refreshment in). After looking in St Peter’s church with its charming secluded garden – where the south aisle had been until in 1661 it was destroyed by a collapsing central tower – I was led astray by the hope that St Mary’s church would be open. It was firmly locked, despite the Churches Conservation Trust notice outside. I continued beyond it and after a timber-framed house of 1592 with a satyr on its corner-bracket, and the exiguous remains of the doorway to a vanished early fourteenth-century house, found a very pleasant route back to the centre, along the Town Walls – not walls as we know them, but a raised car-free walk between an avenue of trees. I then went rapidly to the Guildhall, with its dark and evocative seventeenth century courtroom and the small museum next door. Then for a drink in the Bell Hotel and back to the coach. Some of our members found the other church of the town – dedicated, like several we came across, to St Clement – but I did not.

Richborough Roman Fort by Jon Baldwin

On decanting from the coach, on the Wednesday of the 2014 Hadas long weekend (or short week), my first impression was of the overall enormity of the Richborough site. To walk round the entire fort taking in all the remaining evidence of the interior buildings from different periods of usage was quite a trek, pleasing though it was. However, I did feel it a shame that the grass on and around the earthworks had been allowed to become overgrown thus losing a lot of the definition between the trenches. I also felt the information boards could be given a facelift as they were in a quite tatty condition.

Apart from those minor gripes, I found the whole site to be of great interest. The height and condition of a lot of the outer walls is almost overwhelming especially taking into account how long they have been standing. As I always feel when exploring sites from times so long ago, what varied and interesting lives the people who inhabited these places must have had. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to eavesdrop on their thoughts, feelings, ideas and hopes? Although the group had a reasonable amount of time at the site, it would be good to go back in the future to spend more time drinking in the atmosphere and discovering more about the fort. We were very lucky with the weather as we were for the whole trip but even if it hadn’t been as good, it would have still really been worth the visit. Great!

Why was Richborough Roman Fort there? by Jim Nelhams

Richborough Roman Fort is described correctly as a Saxon Shore Fort but is several miles away from the sea. This was not always the case. In Roman times, the Isle of Thanet was really an island, separated from the mainland by a two mile wide channel called the Wantsum Channel. Using this channel, ships had a shorter and straighter way to London. The River Stour drained into the channel, providing access to Canterbury.

As the Castles at Dover, Walmer and Deal were built later to defend the English Channel, so the Romans built at Richborough to defend the Wantsum Channel, and where the other end of the channel opened out into the Thames, they built a castle at Reculver.

Until the 16th century, Sandwich was a thriving and prosperous sea and naval port. In fact, the name of the road where we parked our coach was “The Quay”. But the Wantsum Channel silted up, leaving the Stour to find a new way to the sea past Richborough and through Sandwich, presumably following close to the old coast line. These days, the River Wantsum starts near Reculver and drains into the Stour.

Whitstable by Jim Nelhams

Whitstable had not appeared on our original schedule. We had hoped to return to Canterbury Cathedral, but its sudden closure for the morning necessitated a rethink. So we found ourselves exploring Whitstable, a small town on the south side of the Thames Estuary between Herne Bay and the Isle of Sheppey.

On the way in, we passed a Wetherspoons restaurant named The Peter Cushing. Peter, who died in 1994 was a resident of the town, and is best known for appearing in horror films, with roles including Dracula, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Who. The restaurant was previously a cinema, and retains many of the cinema fittings, décor and projection equipment. It also has toilet facilities accessible to the public.

We made our way first to the small lifeboat station, there to encounter a number of other members enjoying a cup of coffee. Whitstable has an inshore lifeboat which is launched around 60 times each year. Others, aware of the reputation of Whitstable oysters, or perhaps their aphrodisiac properties, found appropriate eateries.

Back in the High Street, we made our way to the town museum, like so many other places we had visited, run by volunteers but in council owned premises.

For years, Whitstable and Herne Bay fishermen have been catching more than fish in their nets. Hundreds of pottery dishes, many complete and in an excellent state of preservation have been recovered from the seabed.

The pots were Samian ware (mid-2nd century) and were part of the cargo of at least two Roman merchant ships, which either sank or jettisoned their cargo in a storm. The pots became prized items in the homes of fishermen, and were used in Whitstable to make a special kind of Lent pudding, so the pots and the place where they were found were named Pudding Pan.

When families emigrated in the 19th and 20th centuries, many took Pudding Pans with them, and so there are examples all over the world. The recipe is also displayed.

The museum also has information about the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, later known as the crab and winkle line, which claimed to be the first railway for paying passengers in the world. Robert Stephenson built a locomotive named Invicta in 1830, which is displayed in the Canterbury Heritage museum. Trains were hauled by locomotives on the level section of the line. On hilly sections, carriages were pulled by ropes attached to static steam engines. The course of the line is now a six mile public walkway.

Other Local Societies events by Eric Morgan

Wednesday, 7th January, 8pm. Stanmore and Harrow Historical Society, Wealdstone Baptist Church Hall, High Street, Wealdstone. “The history of Westminster Central Hall”. Talk by Mrs. B. Milne. Visitors £1.

Thursday, 8th January, 10.30am. Pinner Local History Society, Village Hall, Chapel Lane Car Park, Pinner. “The history of St. Margaret’s school, Bushey”. Talk by Enid Jarvis. Visitors £2.

Monday, 12th January, 3pm. Barnet Museum & Local History Society, Church House, Wood Street, Barnet (opp. Museum). “An assorted history of Singapore featuring the Mill Hill connection and the five foot way”. Talk by Rob Kayne. £2.

Wednesday, 14th January, 2.30pm. Mill Hill Historical Society. Trinity Church, The Broadway, NW7. “The history of Waltham Abbey Gunpowder Mills”. Talk by David Sims.

Wednesday, 14th January, 7.45pm. Hornsey Historical Society, Union Church Hall, cnr. Ferme Park Road/Weston Park, N8 9PX. “We will not fight – Hornsey’s WWI conscientious objectors”. Talk by Jennifer Bell. £3 refreshments.

Thursday, 15th January, 7.30pm. Camden History Society, Camden Local Studies and Archive Centre, 2nd Floor, Holborn Library 32-38 Theabalds Rd. WC1X 8PA. “Pevsner in Hampstead and Bloomsbury”. Talk by Susie Harries, Visitors £1.

Friday, 16th January, 7pm. COLAS, St Olave’s Parish Hall, Mark Lane EC3R 7NB. “The ark long before Noah”. Talk by Irving Finkel, Visitors £2.

Monday, 19th January, 8pm. Enfield Society with Edmonton Hundred Historical Society, Jublee Hall,2, Parsonage Lane/ jnc Chase Side, Enfield, EN2 0AJ, “The origins of the Edmonton Hundred”. Talk by Jason Peters.

Thursday, 29th January, 2.30pm. Finchley Society, Drawing Room, Avenue House (Stephens House) East End Road, N3 3QE. “The mystery of John Parr (First soldier to die in action in WWI and from Finchley)”. Talk by Mick Crick, Visitors £2.

Friday, 30th January, 6.30pm. Friends of the Petrie Museum, UCL, Lecture Theatre G6, Institute of Archaeology, 31 Gordon Square, WC1. “Ancient Egyptian Mortars and Plasters, Recent analysis of Egypt’s Archaeological Wall paintings and architecture”. Talk by Alexandra Winkel.

Thanks to our contributors: Roger Chapman, Mary Rawitzer, Sheila Woodward, Jim Nelhams, Bill Bass, Andy Simpson, Lydia Stanners, Ken Sutherland-Thomas, Peter Pickering, Jon Baldwin and Eric Morgan.

Number 524 NOVEMBER 2014 Edited by Micky Watkins

HADAS Event Forms Jim Nelhams

Readers will be aware of our Christmas Party on Sunday 7th December and our long outing to the New Forest in September next year. Booking forms for these have been circulated by email and post and should have reached all members. Please contact me if you have not received these forms and require them.

In the last two years, our Christmas Party has been fully subscribed, so if you intend coming, please do not leave you booking until last minute – you might be disappointed.

For next year’s long trip, we need to confirm numbers to the hotel by the end of December. We have currently booked the whole hotel.

HADAS DIARY

Tuesday 11th November, 8pm. A Hamlet in Hendon – the Church Terrace site from the Mesolithic to the 21st Century. Lecture by Jacqui Pearce. Jacqui is one of the principal authors of our latest book, and tutor of the HADAS Finds Group whose work over many years resulted in the publication of the 1973/74 excavations.

Sunday 7th December, 12 noon – 4.30 pm (approx.) HADAS Christmas Party. Buffet lunch. Have you booked?

Tuesday 13th January, 8pm. Late Roman Fortifications in Northern France and their Social Implications. Lecture by James Bromwich.

All the above events, unless otherwise stated, will be held at Stephens House & Gardens (formerly Avenue House), 17 East End Road, Finchley N3 3QE, starting at 8pm, with tea/coffee and biscuits afterwards. Non-members are welcome (£1.00). Buses 82, 125, 143, 326 and 460 pass nearby.

Finchley Central Station (Northern Line) is a short walk away.

Jack Newbury

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Jack. He died on the day before his 95th birthday. The funeral will be at Midday, 5th November, at Golders Green Crematorium. All welcome.

The Obituary will be in the next Newsletter.

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HADAS’ new book “A Hamlet in Hendon” has been reviewed.

Don Cooper

In the latest edition of the London Archaeologist, Alastair Ainsworth has reviewed our new book “A Hamlet in Hendon”

He says “This beautifully written book is very easy to read. The site at Church Terrace, Hendon, was excavated by the Hendon and District Archaeology Society (HADAS) over two seasons during 1973 and 1974 and is close to St Mary’s Church, the Greyhound Inn and Church End Farm, previously excavated by HADAS. The HADAS finds group is to be congratulated for their perseverance and diligence in bringing this important site to publication. Church Terrace provided a stratigraphic record of a relatively undisturbed Greater London suburban site from prehistory through to the 20th century. This is important as we do not know what similar archaeology in the London suburbs was lost when local brickearth layers were systematically removed to make bricks for the expanding suburban housing estates.

The first part of the book reads like a detective story as the authors explain what evidence from the original excavation is missing (or never obtained), and what can be reconstructed from the remaining records. The fascinating section that follows, based on documentary research (including maps, photographs and sale catalogues), establishes what structures had been located within the footprint. The authors bring the site to life by providing names for many of the occupants of the buildings described, and even the family connections between the occupants.

The main part of the book provides a comprehensive interpretation of the finds, analysed by time periods from “Prehistoric and Roman” to “Georgian to the 20th century”. This extended format allows more interesting historical and manufacturing detail about many of the finds than is usually possible within specialist reports.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the details of how village communities in the London region evolved during the last few hundred years. I just wish that the title of the book was not “A Hamlet in Hendon” as my Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a hamlet as “small village, especially one without a church”.”

I must take responsibility for the title of the book – Don Cooper

The book is free to all HADAS members, so do collect your copy from Avenue House at one of our events: Lectures, Parties, Most Sunday mornings from 10.30 to 12.30 or from Don Cooper/Jim Nelhams see the details below.

The Lod Mosaic Tim Wilkins

In 1996 work on a new road outside Lod, Israel uncovered a spectacular set of mosaics dating from the 3rd century A.D. Part of a Roman villa, the central mosaic is the largest and best preserved from anywhere in the Levant. This central section was lifted and preserved and is now a touring exhibition, supported by the Rothschild Foundation. The only place it visited in the UK was Waddesdon Manor, the country estate built by Baron Rothschild in Buckinghamshire outside Aylesbury in 1874, and bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957. The mosaic moves on to St. Petersburg in November.

The mosaic unusually shows no people or gods, but a whole series of animals and fish, mostly as predators and prey. Many of the species of animals shown, such as giraffe and elephant, would have been unknown in the region, but the many varieties of fish were clearly identifiable. The exhibition also included a video of the work to preserve the mosaic in place, and then, scarily, to separate it from the underlying sub-strata, and roll it up for removal. Some of the plaster underlay was exhibited, with two footprints still visible from people who trod on it while it was still wet, one with a sandal and one barefoot. The artists’ line drawings and colour infills could also be seen in the plaster, showing the mosaic tessera-layers where to work.

Survey and Excavation at Cromer Road Primary School, Bill Bass

New Barnet, Herts.

HADAS and UCL.

Site Code CRS14, TQ 25994 96482, May/June 2014.

Introduction

“Cromer Road School was built in 1932, it was built on farmland which was part of the Woodcock Estate. Maps show the current school field was a recreational area, and the footpath which ran across it has been rerouted. Cromer Road School is close to the site of an earlier school, which Cromer Road replaced. The old school is now occupied by flats. The Maw’s factory was built to the north of the Cromer Road School’s site and was open from 1920 to around 1980, when it was demolished and houses built there” (Sarah Dhanjal – Field School Handbook ).

The project was primarily for the school children to learn some of the history of their area and get a feel for archaeological surveying and excavation – the school has recently had its 80th anniversary.

Archaeological setting

The East Coast Main Line runs north – south approx 300m east of the school and was built in the 1850s. Most of the village of New Barnet dates from the establishment of the station there.

Approximately ½ mile north of the school is Newmans Hill in Hadley Wood. There are remains of a circular earthwork here, thought to be of Iron-age origin. Just east of Newmans Hill is Livingstone Primary School, a development here found a substantial amount of medieval pottery. About a mile south-east is East Barnet village with known medieval occupation, and a mile or so west is the medieval settlement at Chipping Barnet, also with its association with the Battle of Barnet (1471).

Archaeology

A 20m x 20m resistivity survey was undertaken to the west of the school’s playing field; although a series of high and low contrasts were seen the results were inconclusive. Two 3m x 2m trenches were laid-out over likely looking areas.

Location of grid and trenches 1 & 2

Location of resistivity survey grid

Trench 1

This trench was used to give experience to and to teach the various groups of school children archaeological techniques and so did not go much below the topsoil layers.

After deturfing the topsoil consisted of a dark loamy clay-based soil, including gravel with small to large occasional pebbles. This layer/context covered the whole of the trench to an excavated depth of 18cm (the turf was levelled at 65.24 OD). Below the topsoil layers a field-drain in clinker packing was found running east-west, part of a complex of drainage for the playing/ recreational field. This was indicated by the high resistivity results from the survey.

The finds from the topsoil are typical from the mixed nature of these layers, including pottery – Post-Medieval Redwares 1650-1800 in date, Refined Whitewares (china) 1800-1900 in the form of sherds from plates, dishes and cups, and some Stoneware sherds 1700-1900. Building materials mostly small and fragmented – brick, roof tile and slate together with some corroded iron nails. There was a small amount of window glass together with some vessel glass both clear and coloured in nature – domestic vessels and beer/wines bottle etc. There were some clay tobacco stems. Other more modern finds included a hairclip and football boot stud (which caused some amusement with the school children).

Trench 2

After deturfing the topsoil was very similar to that of Trench 1, below were lenses and spreads of gravel. Beneath the gravel was a silty/sandy clay layer [007] around 15cm thick. Under the clay was a packed pebble layer [004]10-15cm thick. The clay and pebble layer was cut by a field drain again, packed with clinker for protection. The drain ran east-west, it was made-up of 10cm dia ceramic pipe in 30cm lengths. At 50cm depth from the turf (65.24 OD) the sandy yellow/orange natural clay was found.

Finds from Trench 2 were similar in nature to Trench 1 (above). More notable was a Post-Medieval Redware glazed ‘handle’ sherd, the handle would have fitted in a transverse manner and would have come from a substantial pot such as a storage vessel or garden container. Amongst the window and vessel glass finds was part of a medicinal bottle with measurement tabs on the side and a ‘paste’ jar base probably Victorian in date. Included in the clay-pipe tobacco items were two pipe-bowls, both with flat spurs and no other marks or decoration. They appear to date to around 1700-1770. An iron horseshoe was recovered (135mm x 120mm, bar 20mm x 9mm), another favourite with the young students. Other metal objects included a copper-alloy button 17mm in diameter.

Discussion

As can be seen the trenches show the mixed nature of the area with use as farm or pasture land from the Post-medieval period which could explain the Post-medieval pottery and clay-pipe finds. Then, with possible levelling and dumping layers e.g. the packed pebble, and clay with gravel spreads, these are cut by the east-west field drain complex dating from the Victorian to early 20th century period, creating the recreational area and later playing field. Aerial photographs show allotments encroaching very close to our trenches from the south – another source of disturbance. There was a persistent but small amount of brick, tile and glass, either brought in as dumping material or from earlier demolished building in the vicinity of the site.

Other work

On the green opposite the school parch-marks indicate footings for a building constructed in the WWII period. The building was used for medical purposes and can also be seen in aerial photos. A resistivity survey was conducted here to show students a hands-on experience of the techniques we use to find buried features without digging them.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the Hadas members who took part, Sarah Dhanjal and UCL students, Susan Skedd (school history project), Helen Schmitz (Head of School) and other staff who helped.

The Dumpy Level and William Gravatt Jim Nelhams

During our work at Cromer Road School this summer, somebody asked why we called one of our measuring instruments a “dumpy level”. Not knowing the answer, I looked for information about the instrument and its inventor.

Step forward William Gravatt. William Gravatt was born in Gravesend in Kent on 14th July 1806. His father, a well-to-do Colonel of the Royal Engineers at Woolwich, was not a man to give his children an easy ride through life. He instilled in them the belief that they should look after themselves. His father suggested him as an apprentice to Bryan Donkin.

Before completing his full apprenticeship with Mr Donkin, he gained employment with Isambard Kingdom Brunel who, “considered that he was a competent person to attend to the management of ‘the shield,’* in particular, and, in general, to the machinery belonging to the Thames Tunnel.” He was involved in an incident in the tunnel in 1827, when he was ordered by two directors of the project to take them into the tunnel by boat.

One of the directors stood up in the boat, hitting his head on the roof, and falling backwards into the water, causing the boat to capsize. Gravatt swam back to find a punt at the entrance, and managed to rescue all except one of the boat’s occupants. Brunel, having been summoned to the tunnel, assisted. “On the 5th of March, 1828, silver medals were voted by the Royal Humane Society to Mr. I.K. Brunel and Mr. William Gravatt for having hazarded their own lives to preserve those of their fellow-creatures.”

In 1832 Gravatt became both a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Royal Astronomical Society, and in the proceedings of both Societies he took an active interest. Following the halting of work on the tunnel in 1832, Gravatt was, by the recommendation of his previous employer, Mr. Donkin, appointed Engineer to the Calder and Hebble Navigation. It was here that he commenced his first works, in the form of several river bridges, the arches of which were remarkable for their stability and cost effectiveness. The principle he adopted for their construction was the forerunner of the suspension bridge.

Gravatt was commissioned by Mr. H. R. Palmer to examine the country for the original scheme of the London and Dover Railway. During the early period of railway construction he devised the level known as the ‘dumpy’ and also the ‘level-staff’ which is now universally employed, but which is not generally known to have been introduced by him. This enabled him to survey across valleys and across land to which he was denied access.

He also designed a pocket-sized instrument, which he called a ‘nadir’. By using both the ‘nadir’ and a common box-sextant, it was possible to carry out surveys single handedly in areas where the lie of the land was prohibitively difficult or where the landowner may have had some opposition.

He worked on several other railways and was responsible for the design and building of what was then the world’s largest space telescope, erected on Wandsworth Common.

Gravatt died in Westminster on 30th May 1866 and was buried at the Church of St John of Jerusalem, South Hackney.

Holiday in Sicily Jean Bayne

Set in turquoise seas, Sicily owes its rich archaeological heritage to the importance of its strategic position and to its fertile lands. This small island, of nearly 10,000 sq. miles, has a captivating diverse landscape of mountains, valleys and coastal plains. It also bears the footprints of many civilizations: Greek, Roman, Arabic, Norman, Byzantine and Spanish. This legacy is reflected in the Sicilian language spoken by many Sicilians today—-a mixture of Greek, Latin, Spanish, Arabic and Norman French, incomprehensible to mainland Italians. It is also reflected in the monuments left behind by those who sought to exploit its military advantage and agricultural potential.

There is evidence for early Palaeolithic and Neolithic settlements scattered across the island and in the 10th century BC, the Sicili tribe arrived and gave its name to the island. But the greatest catalyst for change came with the arrival of the Greeks in 734BC. They landed on the eastern coast where they constructed a city-settlement in a sheltered bay near accessible water sources and within sight of Mount Etna. Giardini Naxos is an early example of deliberate town planning. The site is now an archaeological park: there is a small museum housing finds from digs; an interesting collection including pottery, stone and terracotta artefacts, vases, lamps, large jars and sacred vessels. The park itself is extensive. It feels like a tranquil orchard with orange and lemon trees—-a legacy of the Arabs—- walnut and olive trees, cactuses and oleanders, cypresses and mulberry trees. There is scattered evidence of building foundations, roads, walls and fragments of temples, furnaces and altars but no information and only a few signs. After a while, we turned back in the midday sun and missed, so I understand, a long 500 meter wall and 2 ancient pottery kilns at the far end of the park. It was sad to see ancient features so overgrown and badly maintained. I asked whether archaeologists were currently working on the site. I was told they came occasionally on Mondays! There was evidence of later fortifications and irrigation systems but the most exciting feature of the site was its ancient history and the fact that nothing had been built on most of the area in modern times. The city was destroyed in the 5th century BC and its citizens sent elsewhere to be slaves.

This, indirectly, led to the development of Taormina on a nearby hillside. It is now a charming, medieval town with narrow, winding, stepped streets and pastel coloured old houses, palaces and churches set high over the sea. It has a stunning, breathtaking Greek theatre located close to the cliff edge where plays and opera are still staged. Although it was built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC it was later rebuilt in brick by the Romans on the same site in the first century BC. The surrounding wall still stands and columns with capitals are in evidence. The proscenium arches and back wall are also still there —unusual in ancient theatres. With the backdrop of Mount Etna on one side and the sea on the other—both visible from inside the theatre, it was easy to imagine the wonder and excitement of long ago plays being performed.

Taormina became a popular venue from the late 19th century. Florence Trevelyan, one of Edward VII’s mistresses, was asked to leave Britain before his coronation and given £50 a year to go. She ended up in Taormina and married the Sicilian mayor. He gave her all the mountains behind the town and the island, Isla Bella, in front. She, in her turn, constructed a wonderful public garden overlooking the bay filled with exotic plants and curious small buildings made from a variety of materials: stone, cloth, pipes and bricks. And a few odd cannons are dotted about. D.H. Lawrence also lived here from 1920 –23 and wrote a famous poem called The Snake. A friend of mine who was a great admirer of Lawrence went to the information office to ask where his house was and mentioned the snake poem. She was told very brusquely that there were no snakes in Sicily and that the man was a liar! Such is the power of tourism! But the information office has nothing to fear: Taormina remains a huge attraction and was very crowded. It is still a target for the rich and famous as well as the ordinary tourist and this is a tribute to its outstanding beauty and ancient monuments. (Acton, in the early 20th century described it as becoming as boring as Bournemouth but he must have been having a very bad day!)

Syracuse, on the southern side of Sicily, was once the most important city in the Western world. At the beginning of the 5th century BC, it began to grow and expand and became a crucial trading centre under Greek influence and many of its grandest monuments are from this period. In 211 BC. it fell to the Romans in spite of the ingenious devices invented by Archimedes for its defence. He was subsequently hacked to death by the Romans. Later, it became an early centre of Christianity and briefly a capital when the Byzantine Emperor moved his court here in 663 AD. After that, it went into decline and played little part in the medieval conquests by Arabs, the Norman French and the Spanish. Nevertheless, it is a kaleidoscope of archaeological and architectural styles spanning many centuries.

We visited the Archaeological Park at Syracuse which is an amazing treasure chest of monuments. There is a 5th century BC theatre overlooking the harbour which, after later modifications, could seat 15,000 people by Roman times and an amphitheatre for gladiatorial combat which is the second largest to be found in the world. It was elliptical in shape with inscriptions still extant and a small tank in the middle of the arena for draining away blood. An enormous altar at the entrance was built in the 3rd century for a temple for Zeus: 450 bulls were slaughtered there at the same time. Further up the hill, there is an artificial waterfall and grotto fed by an ancient aqueduct and there is evidence of tombs. The quarries which provided most of the stone doubled up as prisons at one time. The most famous is Dionysius Ear—so named by the Italian painter Caravaggio— an immense cavern, which housed political prisoners. It was said that the emperor Dionysius could listen outside and hear what the prisoners were plotting because of the peculiar acoustics of this very tall cave. We had a go at singing Land of Hope and Glory to try out the echoes but it wasn’t as effective as a group of German tourists who had a much louder delivery!

We also visited Ortigia, a part of Syracuse, which had been the initial settlement area because of its island status and natural harbours. A few remaining columns and fragments of wall from the Doric Temple of Apollo were visible and date from 565BC.Close by is the Piazza Duomo which is a very attractive square. The cathedral which dominates it is a wonderful mixture of historical styles. It incorporates the body of a glorious temple from the 6th century BC which had doors of ivory and gold and painted scenes of battles long gone, Byzantine elements from when it became the first Christian cathedral and a Norman facade built after the earthquake in 1693. Baroque decoration was also added.

We saw other cathedrals, notably at Monreale, where the mosaics were sumptuous and shimmering and in Palermo at the Palatine Chapel which was also completely covered in amazing mosaics and had an unusual honeycombed wooden ceiling. These were both examples of Norman architecture and art. We also visited the dramatic site at Segesta. It had been a large 5th century city but the only visible remains were a lovely theatre high on a hillside and, a few kilometres away, a well preserved temple. Maintenance was evident at the temple and excavations are ongoing so perhaps more evidence will be added in time.

However, the undoubted highlight of the holiday was our visit to the Roman villa at Casale (Three km from Piazza Armerina) This was located nearer the centre of Sicily in rolling hilly countryside and felt very remote. It is believed to be a 4th century hunting lodge built by emperors Maximian and Diocletian for summer use. It was later abandoned and buried by a landslide in the 12th century. The mud covering helped to preserve the mosaics of this luxury villa for 800 years. More like a palace, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its scale, size and incredible mosaics. Excavations began in the 1950s and are continuing. It has been roofed for preservation and walkways allow the visitor to see the mosaics in full.

The villa is built on terraces and at the entrance is a complex bath house with latrines and a courtyard. The main part of the house also has a courtyard with rooms off. Everywhere there are pavement mosaics: mythological scenes, pictures of wild animals from Africa—lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, ostriches etc—and their capture and transportation to Rome, hunting scenes, flora and fauna, birds, domestic pictures e.g. of a family going to the baths with their slaves .The detail and narrative of some of these scenes are spectacular, particularly in the animal mosaics and the hunting story and help us to understand more about Roman life among the rich and powerful. These mosaics were examples of very advanced mosaic art and are thought to be the work of North African artists. The walls and columns were also painted and some evidence of this survives. There is also a basilica with a marble floor which was used as a reception room and several private family rooms. One very unusual mosaic is of ten women exercising in bikinis—not just a 1960s invention then! It is thought that this was the exercise room of the lady of the house as the women depicted were all respectable (seemingly you can tell by their hairstyles as married women put their hair up). Many of the activities shown, such as discus and running are represented here and are still part of the Olympic Games. They are thought to be taking part in a Pentathlon competition. The winner has a laurel crown.

Agrigento or Valley of the Temples is another unmissable sight. Built on a ridge overlooking the sea, the ruins of several Doric temples show up on the skyline to dramatic effect. A good harbour and fertile land encouraged the development of this area in the 5th and 6th centuries BC. Some of the city walls still exist with hollowed out sections for tombs, and ancient olive trees, several thousand years old, grow within a romantic, ruined landscape. There are the ruins of 4 main temples .Firstly, the temple of Hercules which has 9 columns remaining and is dedicated to a demi-god rather than a more important one .Traces of the white stucco which covered the temples can still be seen here. In contrast, the second temple of Concordia is well preserved and the most complete, probably because it was converted to a Christian church in the 6th century. It is fenced off, however, so you need to circle it to admire its tapering columns. Thirdly, the Temple of Juno, half in ruins. shows evidence of fire damage. A mammoth pile of rubble denotes the fourth temple: the Temple of Jove /Zeus, the largest Doric temple ever built or partly built. Left in ruins by the Carthaginians, it was also brought down by earthquakes and stone robbing. Intriguingly, the toppled body of a massive stone giant—8 metres high— lies in the middle on the ground. It would have been upright in the temple, acting as a column. I understand all these temples are lit up at night; it must be a fabulous sight !

We were also interested to learn that an English gentleman, Alexander Hardcastle, went out to Agrigento after the Boer war and excavated parts of temples, roads and walls. He was trying to find a theatre but did not find it. In the end, he lost all the family fortune and died in an asylum in 1933. His house is still there, though, and is now used for administrative purposes for archaeology.

Cefalu was our last port of call: a delightful fishing village with long sandy beaches. Caught between a wall of rock and the sea, it boasts a magnificent medieval cathedral (1131) where later baroque decorations have been stripped off to reveal Byzantine style mosaics. High above the altar is the figure of Christ Pantocrator with his long face and powerful eyes. In the town, we looked for the famed Arab wash house but walking around and down steep lanes leading to the sea, we missed it! And had a coffee instead!

Beautiful Sicily! We felt we only had quick tasters of the historical and archaeological treasures it had to offer and its magnificent landscape of valleys, mountains and sea. I hope to return.

The Old Lighthouse, Dungeness Lydia Stanners

The HADAS visit was on a beautiful still summer day. Views of France, the outline of Dover and Pevensey could clearly be seen. The journey to the top, although 167 steps, is far from onerous as there are many places to sit and rest but I am not sure how many HADAS members braved the climb. My sister and I are always full of admiration for the determination of some of our amazing frail customers who can and do make it to the viewing gallery and think nothing of it. It is stunning to see, from the viewing gallery, the 360 degree panoramic views over Romney Marsh to Appledore, uncountable 500 odd shingle ridges (each the product of a major storm), Marconi’s experimental station, the old keeper’s accommodation together with the sprinkling of old railways coaches transformed into homes, mixed in with the original fishermen’s cottages and WWII buildings that form the Dungeness community today, made famous by Derek Jarman’s garden book. We also like watching the light railway train puffing along the track on its way from Romney Station. It is, however, humbling to think that the Lighthouse was the last view of Britain so many local agricultural workers and their families, unloaded under the Poor Laws of the mid 19th century, ever saw on their way to Australia from embarkation at Gravesend.

Dungeness has seen a succession of five lighthouses dating from the first 17th Century wooden bonfire type situated near the sewer outfall behind the Power Station, the second next to the old Coastguard Cottages, the third 18th century stone building which once stood in the centre of the Lighthouse keeper’s roundhouse accommodation next to the Old (fourth) Lighthouse and the final fifth Lighthouse built near the water’s edge, locally referred to as “the stalk” due to its modern construction.

The most important feature of The Old Lighthouse is the Great Lens lit by an incandescent mantle into which paraffin oil was vaporized by the use of compressed air. This enabled the light to shine out for 18 miles and was at the time of build, considered more efficient than electricity. However, briefly towards 1959 the electric light bulb was used as it had become acceptably efficient. The Lens, however, still remained clockwork and had to be wound every 24 hours!

Dungeness has its own climate due to the fact that it has constantly grown outwards into the English Channel because of reverse long shore drift and strong currents driving the pebble beach to prograde some 6 metres a year in some parts. In Roman times the shore was nearer Lydd, thus Dungeness is very much a medieval landscape.

Standing close to the late 18th century waterline The Old Lighthouse was decommissioned in 1960 due the construction of the Nuclear Power Station directly due south blocking the beam from the Great Lens and sector lights which, in respect of the former, then needed to be seen 20 miles out to sea. The redundant fourth Lighthouse was sold by Trinity House to the Dungeness Estate but later came into my family by chance in the summer of 1983. My father James Stanners bought it at the suggestion of his friend, James Godden, the local fairground operator, when he accompanied the latter to a London Auction where the Lighthouse had been put up for sale along with a selection of local authority assets. After my parent’s death the intervention of my late husband ensured that The Old Lighthouse remained in family hands.

The top of the lighthouse provided excellent views of the power station, and also the loop on the railway track, where the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway turns for its return trip towards New Romney and further destinations, and of our train waiting to take us.

View from the top of the lighthouse towards the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway and towards the Dungerness Power station.

OTHER SOCIETIES’ EVENTS Eric Morgan

Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th. November. Nautical Archaeology Society and Thames Discovery Programme Annual Conference. Museum of London, 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN

Thursday 20th November, 7.30pm, Camden History Society, Camden Local Studies Centre, Holborn Library, 32-8 Theobalds Rd. WC1X 8PA. Evelyn Wrench’s Postcards of the Early 1900s. By Peter Blackman.

Thursday 20th November, 8.15pm. Hampstead Scientific Society, Crypt room, St John’s Church, Church Row NW3. The Post Office Railway. Talk by Chris Taft.

Wednesday 26th November, 7.45pm, Friern Barnet and District Local History Society, North Middx. Golf Club, The Manor House, Friern Barnet Lane, N20 0NL.
Victorian Xmas Cards, Talk by David Green, Visitors £2.

Friday 5th December, 7.30pm, Wembley History Society, English Martyrs’ Hall, Chalkhill Rd, Wembley HA9 9EW (top of Blackbird Hill). Kensal Green Cemetery. Talk by Henry Vivian- Neal. Visitors £2.

Tuesday 9th December, 6.30pm. LAMAS, Clore Learning Centre, Museum of London, London Wall, ECY 5HN. The Gentle Authors’ Magic Lantern Show of LAMAS Slides.
Glass slides taken by members of LAMAS more than a century ago. Visitors £2.

Tuesday 9th December, 7.45pm, Amateur Geological Society, the Parlour, St Margaret’s Church, Victoria Ave. N31BD. A History of Life in 10 Fossils. Talk by Dr Paul Taylor (Natural History Museum).

Wednesday 10th December 7.45pm Hornsey Historical Society, Union Church Hall, Ferme Park Rd. Weston Park N8 9PX. Bounds Green, A Fascinating Corner of Haringey. Albert Pinching. Visitors £3. N.B. The 12th November talk is changed to The Crocus King- EA Bowles of Myddleton House, by Bryan Hewitt.

Thursday 11th December, 7.30pm. Camden History Society, Burgh House, New End Sq. NW3 1LT. The West End in the 1800s, Emerging Pleasure District. Talk by Dr Rohan McWilliam. Visitors £1.Wine and mince pies from 7pm.

Wednesday 13th December, 2.30pm. Mill Hill Historical Society, Trinity Church, The Broadway NW7. John Lewis, 150 Years in Retailing. Judy Faraday.

Friday12th December, 6.30pm. Friends of the Petrie Museum, UCL Lecture Theatre, Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Sq. The Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project. Talk by Kasia Szpakowska.
ALSO Saturday 13th December, Study Day, Secrets Revealed, Artists and Epigraphers in Egypt. Tel 020 76792369. Email janpixton@injet.demon.co.uk.

Thanks to our contributors: Bill Bass, Jean Bayne, Don Cooper, Jim Nelhams, Lydia Stanners, Tim Wilkins and Eric Morgan

No. 523 OCTOBER 2014 Edited by Vicki Baldwin

HADAS DIARY

***PLEASE NOTE***

THE DATE OF THE OCTOBER LECTURE IS 14TH OCTOBER

Tuesday 14th October, 8pm Stepping into Britain. The early human occupation of northern Europe. Lecture by Dr. Nick Ashton of the British Museum. Fieldwork over the last ten years has pushed back the evidence of early humans in northern Europe from 500,000 to almost a million years ago. Sites on the East Anglian coast in particular at Pakefield and Happisburgh have revealed evidence of stone tools associated with extinct animal fossils and a wide range of environmental data.

In 2013 there were further discoveries at Happisburgh of human footprints, the oldest known outside Africa. In combination the evidence allows us to reconstruct the human habitat and examine the difficulties of dealing with cold, long winters. Did they have clothes, shelters or fire? Did they seasonally migrate? Or did they have functional body hair to protect them from the cold. These questions will be addressed in the talk to provide a picture of life a million years ago on the edge of the known world

Tuesday 11th November, 8pm A Hamlet in Hendon – the Church Terrace site from the Mesolithic to the 21st Century. Lecture by Jacqui Pearce. Jacqui is one of the principal authors of our latest book, and tutor of the HADAS Finds Group whose work over many years resulted in the publication of the 1973/74 excavations.

Sunday 7th December, 12 noon – 4.30 pm (approx.) HADAS Christmas Party. Buffet lunch. Booking details coming soon.

All the above events, unless otherwise stated, will be held at Stephens House & Gardens (formerly Avenue House), 17 East End Road, Finchley N3 3QE, starting at 8pm, with tea/coffee and biscuits afterwards. Non-members are welcome (£1.00). Buses 82, 125, 143, 326 and 460 pass nearby. Finchley Central Station (Northern Line) is a short walk away.

Fulham Palace – volunteering opportunity 6th-24th October

This is a community archaeology project. They are looking for volunteers with archaeological experience who can commit to 3 days minimum over the period. Please check the website for further details.

Volunteer Opportunities with our Community Archaeology Dig

HADAS Move Vicki Baldwin

In their infinite wisdom, Stephens House & Garden (formerly Avenue House) decided that given our penchant for delving into and under the ground, we would be happier if we relocated from the Garden Room to the basement. Actually this is a larger and more straightforward space without the awkward nooks and crannies afforded by the Garden Room.

The move took place the week beginning 31 August 2014 and we are still sorting and rearranging books, files and boxes. This should be completed fairly soon and our regular Working Party Sunday mornings restored. We are now located at the bottom of the stairs in the car park.

fJacqui Pearce for a thoroughly enjoyable and educational day!

The HADAS Cleaning Party.

Book Launch Jo Nelhams

On Sunday August 3rd, the culmination of many years work was marked appropriately at ‘The Greyhound Pub’ in Hendon, with the official launch of the book ‘A Hamlet in Hendon’. This tells the story of the HADAS archaeological dig in 1973-74, which was just up the road from The Greyhound, fulfilling Themistocles Constantinides’, our founder’s, aim of finding proof of the Anglo Saxon origins of Hendon.

Over 40 members (including Percy Reboul who participated in the dig), former members, contributors and guests gathered to celebrate this tremendous event. Some had travelled many miles to be there.

There are too many contributors to mention individually, but our thanks must go to Jacqui Pearce, our lecturer, who has taught and guided ‘The Finds Group’ since its inception, to produce this wonderful book. This class is still going strong on Wednesday evenings from September to March and will be looking at finds from the Arkley kiln in the next session.

‘A Hamlet in Hendon’ is the second book that has been completed and published by ‘The Finds Group’. The first book was titled ‘The last Hendon farm : the archaeology and history of Church End farm’.

Please Note: ‘A Hamlet in Hendon’ by HADAS Finds Group price £20 ISBN: 978-9503050-8-0

is now available. Please contact Don Cooper (details on back page) for further information.

Mill Hill Archaeological Study Society

The Archaeology of the Anglo-Saxons – tutor Scott McCracken
A course of 20 classes, beginning 3 October 2014. Cost for 20 classes: £150

More information at www.mhass.co.uk

Rome, Egypt and Africa Study Day
Mosaics to Mummy Portraits: the arts, architecture and people of Roman Sicily, Syria, Egypt and North Africa

A study day with Dr Paul Roberts, Head of the British Museum’s Roman collections, Co-Curator of Ancient Faces and Curator of the spectacularly successful Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum
Saturday November 22nd 2014: 10.00 am – 5.30 pm
Cruciform Lecture Theatre, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
The four lectures: From Greece to the Normans: the Splendour of Sicily
Rome in Africa, Africa in Rome
Ancient Faces
Palmyra Bride of the Desert
For further information (including full lecture synopses) & ticket sales (£40 each) via PayPal:
www.egyptology-uk.com/bloomsbury

Getting to Grips with Pots and Pipes: the archaeology of everyday artefacts from Saxon times to Queen Victoria – a workshop on 2nd August 2014 at Stephens House & Gardens (Avenue House). Report by Stephen Brunning.

Since September 2001 HADAS has been running a successful 22-meeting Finds Processing evening course. I was well aware that not everyone could commit to a full two-terms and the idea was muted for a one day intensive workshop/study day. With Jacqui Pearce at the helm, this went ahead in early August.

After a very slow start attracting participants, we ended up with 15 people. Two had come down from Oxford Archaeology for the day, with a further person from Twickenham (AOC Archaeology). Eight delegates were HADAS members.

The day was split up with two PowerPoint talks in the morning on medieval pottery & Tudor and Stuart pottery, with a coffee break in between and a chance to ask questions & handle finds bought in by Jacqui from the LAARC. Attendees were also encouraged to bring along artefacts for identification. After a buffet lunch on the terrace (a mistake as it turned out due to a large number of flies interested in the meat sandwiches), we had a two more talks on Georgian to Victorian pottery & An Introduction to Clay Pipes. As in the morning session, the afternoon talks were separated with a tea break and finds handling. The day ended with a final handling session, questions and evaluation.

Of the artefacts bought along by attendees, two are particularly worthy of mention here. The first photograph is an oil jar with the U standing for Unguentum (an ointment used to treat dry, scaly or chapped skin), and Rosarium (a rose garden); therefore the vessel is an apothecary jar for oil of roses. Further research is ongoing to establish its date and source. The second photograph is a Dutch Delftware wall tile (1620-1640) as identified by Ian Betts, Ceramic Building Material Specialist at MOLA.

Many thanks to Jacqui Pearce for a thoroughly enjoyable and educational day!

An Update on the former Church Farm House Museum Don Cooper

I am sure most HADAS members will remember the reprehensible events that took place around March 2011, when Barnet Council unilaterally closed the museum in this lovely old grade II* listed farm house, made the staff redundant, and sold off most of the collection of objects at auction. The house has stood empty ever since.

However, at a meeting on 8th September 2014 the Assets, Regeneration and Growth Committee of Barnet Council approved a new plan for the building.

The plan is to lease the building rent free to Middlesex University for seven years less a day and give the University £280,000 towards the regeneration (the council’s words) of the building. The university will take responsibility for the maintenance of the building and the grounds. The grounds will be available to the public. The University will use the building for educational meeting rooms and the arrangement also specifies that the building to be made available for community use from Monday to Friday evenings from 19.00 and on Saturday and Sunday from 0900.

The bad news is we have lost our lovely local museum, the good news is this important local heritage asset will no longer be empty and deteriorating, but hopefully will be looked after at least for the next seven years.

Tally Ho! A Place to Meet – arts depot from 4th October

An exhibition inspired by the history of the artsdepot site, from the 19th Century Tally Ho Coach Company to the art deco Gaumont Cinema. Artist, Jacky Oliver, will work with the community to create a centrepiece for the exhibition which launches at artsdepot’s Fun Palace Birthday Bonanza on Sat 4 Oct.

In partnership with the Finchley Society. Venue: Café Foyer

‘Predators and Prey’ – last chance to see rare Roman mosaic from Lod, Israel Jean Lamont

In 1996, workmen repairing a road in Lod (ancient Lydda) uncovered a large mosaic, thought to have covered the floor of the entrance hall or atrium of a wealthy resident 1,700 years ago. It is on display at Waddesdon Manor (NT) near Aylesbury until 2nd November. The exhibition has toured America and Europe, and this is its only UK venue.

An octagonal centrepiece depicts lions and their prey, surrounded by individual panels showing various animals, birds and sea creatures. There are wide borders at each end showing more marine scenes. There are no humans, deities or seasons. The quality and condition of the mosaic are astonishing. In addition, there are a brief introductory video showing the discovery and lifting of the mosaic and a small exhibition of domestic Roman artefacts which will be familiar to HADAS members – especially as most have been borrowed from the BM!

The display is in the Stable Block. Entry is free, but non-NT members may have to pay an entry fee to the grounds. Further details at www.waddesdon.org.uk or phone 01296 653226.

HADAS Kent Trip – Day 3 Jim Nelhams

Tuesday was always going to be a challenging day, visiting Dungeness and the Romney Marsh, but we had not expected to lose half an hour stuck in traffic before reaching our first destination at Lydd, so our visits to the church and the local museum were slightly rushed.

Dungeness Andrew Coulson

The word Dungeness is old English for the headland (ness) beyond Denge marsh. This headland is composed of sea-borne shingle derived by long-shore drift from the beaches of Brighton, Eastbourne, etc. to the west. The land is very barren and very flat, probably reaching no more than 5 foot above sea level at high tide. The annual rainfall is about 8 inches, which qualifies it as a desert. In the words of a friend of mine, “it is the land God forgot.

Sylvia Javes

At least 600 plant species can be found at Dungeness. This is surprising when one considers that the area has very low rainfall, and the shingle drains very quickly. Plants generally are adapted to the conditions by having long roots, fleshy leaves, the ability to fix nitrogen, or a certain amount of salt tolerance. When we were there, the wild flowers were spectacular. There were colourful stands of Viper’s Bugloss, Yellow Horned Poppy, Valerian, Restharrow, Wild Carrot and Sea Kale among many others. There are a few dwellings on the peninsula, and people seem to take the view that there is no point in trying to make a formal garden. Simply add a few rocks or driftwood and work with whatever wild flowers come along – and this is exactly what the power station has done outside its visitor centre.

The flowers are important in supporting invertebrates, particularly bumble bees. Dungeness has the very rare Short-haired bumblebee, reintroduced in 2012 after going extinct in Britain in 1988, and also the Shrill carder bee, which was also thought to have disappeared from the area. There was a poster about bumblebees in the power station visitor centre, suggesting that they are trying to be sympathetic to the environment.

Lydd Church Micky Watkins

Lydd Church is so unusually large for a parish church that it is called the Cathedral of the Marshes. It is 199 ft. long, and the tower is 132 ft. high and visible from afar. It is built over a Romano-British basilica of the 5th century and we could see some remaining arches of this buried in the wall in the north west corner. It was a church in the Anglo Saxon period, but most of the present church is medieval. As it was such a large and important church, many fraternities and guilds met here in the 15th century. Each guild met in a particular chapel or part of the church with their own altar and saint.

The first rector recorded is Peter de Winchelsea in 1283. A later rector was Thomas Wolsey (later Cardinal Wolsey in the time of Henry VIII), but it is doubtful whether he spent much time here as he had many parishes and, no doubt, many tithes.

The church was severely damaged by bombing in World War II. The chancel was destroyed, but was well restored, leaving out the Victorian ‘improvements’. The modern stained glass windows over the altar are very pleasing and elsewhere the windows are mostly plain glass so that the church is flooded with light.

On the floor and north wall there are some brasses which depict the well clothed, well-heeled merchants of Lydd during the period between 1557 and 1616 when the wool trade flourished. In the North Chapel there is an effigy of Sir Walter de Meryl, a Crusader in chain mail and armour. There is also a very colourful bust of Thomas Godfrey and above it the coats of arms of his ‘three severall wives’. He lived to see his children ‘well disposed of in marriadge into severall worthy families & to see parents of many hopefull children to his great comfort’. Surely the wish of all parents.

Lydd Museum Jim Nelhams

Lydd Museum is run by volunteers, who had kindly agreed to open it for us. It is housed in the old fire station, and an old hand-pumped engine stands outside. The exhibits include some interesting wheeled exhibits including a horse drawn bus used to take passengers to the railway station. Not sufficient for a HADAS outing.

Rather more interesting was a large wheeled cart. Faced with the problem of bringing fish from their boats across the shingle, special carts with wide wooden wheels were developed (see photo). The wheels seem to owe something to the skills of a barrel-maker. In front of the cart is a wooden wheelchair.

The photo of a cart in use seems to show a lighthouse of which more next month.

And what should we find on a building next to the church? A Stephens Thermometer!

Lydd Airport Jeffrey Lesser

We passed the Rype in Lydd which is a very large flat area, a remnant of marshland.It recalled to me the neighbouring Lydd (Ferryfield) airfield from which my wife and I flew in 1956. The short route Lydd-Le Touquet was flown by Silver City Airways, carrying 3 cars and up to 10 passengers. The bonnet of our Ford Anglia had to be opened for inspection, revealing our flat camping kettle wedged on top of the engine. My explanation was accepted that it was a quick method of having heated water ready for boiling for tea when we stopped.

Visit to Dungeness B Power Station Patrick McSharry

On the third day of our trip, Tuesday 1st. July 2014 we visited the Dungeness B Power Station. What a contrast to our visit in Canterbury on the first day. The towering Dungeness Power Station matched Canterbury Cathedral in its proportions, as dedicated to energy production as the latter was to prayer. As a group we visited the award winning visitor centre which gave us the opportunity of enjoying the interactive exhibition zone before 10 of us embarked on a site tour to see the plant in operation with the rest of the group going off to see the Dungeness Lifeboat Station.

The tour itself around the plant lasted just over one and a half hours. We were all kitted out in special clothing plus a special electronic device which allowed us to hear (as well as communicate) all that was said to us. The plant is owned and run by EDF Energy, one of the UK’s largest energy companies as well as being the biggest producer of low carbon electricity. What is more EDF Energy is one of the three largest energy companies in Europe. We learnt about nuclear safety (always an over-riding priority), how a nuclear reactor works and how electricity is generated. On the technical front we learnt something about ionising radiation and nuclear waste disposal [nuclear waste products are classified into three categories – high, intermediate and low level – based on how radioactive they are, and this determines how they are treated]. We also discovered that an episode of Dr Who had been filmed on the site.

Our guides for the tour were Jo and Sarah. Their fluency of delivery, their knowledge, passion and enthusiasm was simply breath taking. More impressive was their supreme ability to explain and reduce complex ideas and processes in accessible layman’s language.

Dungeness B has also picked-up and learnt lessons from the tragic disaster of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan which flooded with sea water causing further problems in an already dire situation. A new retaining wall has been built around Dungeness B to prevent similar flooding, in the event of a disaster. EDF’s commitment to safety is impressive.

Finally, but not least, EDF has been awarded the Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark in recognition of its work to protect the unique flora and fauna of the vegetated shingle around the Power Station .

On this year’s HADAS excursion we have been privileged to see two different Cathedrals: one dedicated to Spiritual power and the other to Nuclear! A memorable experience, indeed.

Dungeness Lifeboat Station Andrew Coulson

Anyone looking at a map of southern England would pick out the narrows where the English Channel meets the North Sea. The distance between Dungeness and Cap Griz Nez is about 25 miles and this strait, known as the Dover Strait, caters for most of the mercantile shipping bound to and from Europe. The possibilities for maritime disaster are unlimited.

The situation was exactly the same in the 1820s and the recently formed Royal National Lifeboat Institution decided to do something about it. In 1826, they planted a lifeboat station at the tip of Dungeness. This lapsed from use in 1839 but was revived in 1854 and continues to the present day.

There are presently three methods of launching a lifeboat; down a slipway from a lifeboat house, from an anchorage in a harbour or from a beach. The Dungeness boat has always been launched from a beach. Originally a very large, sturdy rowing boat with mast and sails stowed and the crew aboard, mounted on a cradle if one was available, would be pushed into the sea by horses, with the launch and recovery crew using ropes to keep the boat facing into the seas. At this time, the women of the community often played a prominent part in the process, as indeed they still do. Once launched, they would take shelter and wait for the boat’s return. Sometimes it did not. But usually it did and the then recovery part of the process would take place.

Nowadays things are a little different, but not entirely; mechanisation has just taken over. The boathouse is about 100 yards from the sea and this difference is traversed by the cradle – which holds the boat – and the tractor which pushes it. Both items of equipment are mounted on tracks, about 4 foot wide at a guess, running over 7 idler wheels with propulsion wheels at each end powered by a diesel engine. I imagine the tractor is waterproofed. Top speed is about 1-2 miles per hour and the entire system, at least 60 feet long, and weighing in the region of 40 tons with the boat on board. On reaching the sea, an arm extends to push the boat out at the same time as the cradle bed slopes to allow gravity to assist. The boat is usually launched bow first. The tractor driver can launch the boat by himself if necessary. The tractor cost £1,500.000 pounds.

The boat is a very new one, the first of the Shannon class in service. Made of fibre reinforced plastic, it weighs 18 tons and has a crew of 6. Its capacity is 23 survivors with its self-righting facility or 79 without it. Coxswain Stuart Adams explained how this worked. When the cabin is sealed, the air-bubble and the low position of the heavy engines bring the boat upright.

The main attraction of the boat is its speed. At 25 knots (30 mph), it IS fast. I remember being told in my youth that 8 knots was the most they could do – any faster and the crew would be washed out of it. In the Shannon class however, the crew are all in the cabin unless the upper steering position is manned, which is not likely when making a passage at speed in rough weather. The two engines at 650 hp each operating twin water jets, which means that the manoeuvrability is “phenomenal” and it can be beached without damage. The crew are seated two by two in the cabin strapped opposite their screens. Each man has his own position with the helmsman front left. The screens are interchangeable and can show inter alia the radar pictures from Dover Coastguard and the boat and cctv pictures from the boat. The crew have headsets and intercoms.

But some things do not change. The RNLI is strictly voluntary, as it always has been. It exists on donations and bequests from the public. The only crew members that may be paid are the coxswain and the engineer, whose job it is to ensure that the engines are fully functional at all times. As there is a training launch every fortnight and no one knows when a real call-out may come, this is a matter of necessity. Each time the Dungeness boat is launched costs £4,500. With 237 stations to maintain throughout the British Isles, the cost to the RNLI is about two and a half million pounds per week. Although the crew totals 6, the number of persons trained to operate the boat is about 30. The ideal is to have everybody trained to fulfil two or three roles on the boat, and the same goes for the launch crew. It is, as the coxswain pointed out, worrying to find on a call-out, that nobody present can drive the tractor. It takes 20 minutes to launch the boat from the moment that the pagers go off, and each crew member must live within 3 miles of the boat house.

When the station was founded, sailing ships were the bulk of the “customers”; in essence they still are, but they no longer carry heavy goods, nor are they so big. The introduction of lanes in the channel, constant patrolling by coast guard vessels, radio warnings, to say nothing of international safety agreements, have much reduced the problem, but not entirely. Nowadays the problem is yachts and small cabin cruisers, and worst of all a basic lack of skills. This is epitomised by a boat that was obviously in trouble and when asked what charts they had, held up a copy of the A-Z. They were from London and hoped to sail to Liverpool. The school summer holidays are known as “Purgatory” in the lifeboat house.

Believing that prevention is better than cure, the RNLI has encouraged their crews to give talks and demonstrations of the safe way to sail and to demonstrate the basic level of safety kit. Perhaps the most basic lesson is how to get the lifeboat. Simple: dial 999 and ask for the coastguard. They will work out what area is involved and alert the relevant boats. In the case of Dungeness, their area extends from Dover westwards to Rye. Obviously they do not have to stick to these limits – they are for guidance only.

The name of the boat is “The Morrell”; a tribute to a very generous bequest given by Mrs Barbara Morrell of Bromley in Kent. The full amount of the legacy was six million pounds from which the boat and tractor cost three and a half million. But the lifeboats have a way of supporting themselves. Last year, the Dungeness team raised £51,000 for the rescue services and the Church, holding concerts, bingo sessions, brass band events, etc. and acting as an information centre.

Then a short ride to Lydia’s lighthouse, where we were to meet up again with group one. But that’s for next month.

WHAT’S ON Eric Morgan

Tuesday 30th October, 8pm Finchley Society, Drawing Room, Stephens House & Gardens (formerly Avenue House), East End Road, N3 3QE. Church End Town Centre: Where to Next? Discussion addressed by Dennis Pepper. Also feedback from Finchley in Bloom and a picture quiz. Non-members £2. Further details to September newsletter.

Friday 31st October, 6.30pm Friends of the Petrie Museum, UCL Lecture Theatre G6, Institute of Archaeology, 31 Gordon Square WC1. What Did Petrie & The Ancient Egyptians Ever Do For Bolton? Talk by Jacqueline Hyman.

Saturday 1st November, 10.30am – 4.30pm G.A.Festival of Geology, UCL, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT. Displays by Geologists Association members & affiliated clubs (Amateur Geological Society will have a stand here), sales of fossils, minerals, books, maps & geological equipment, amateur photographic competition, geological talks. Also walks & field trips on Sunday 2nd November. Free.

Sunday 2nd November, 10.30am Heath & Hampstead Society The Heath & Kenwood – How They Relate to Each Other. Meet at entrance to Old Kitchen Garden east of Kenwood House. Walk (leaders TBA). Lasts approx. 2hrs. £3.

Thursday 6th November, 8pm Pinner Local History Society Village Hall, Chapel Lane car park, Pinner. A Concise History of Whitefriars Glass. Talk by Mike Beech. Visitors £2

Wednesday 12th November, 2.30pm Mill Hill Historical Society Trinity Church, The Broadway, NW7. Garden Cities: History & Development. Talk by Josh Tidy.

Wednesday 12th November, 7.45pm Hornsey Historical Society Union Church Hall, corner Ferme Park Road/Weston Park, N8 9PX. The Friern Hospital Story. Talk by David Berguer (Chair Friern Barnet L.H.S.) Visitors £3. Refreshments & sales 7.30pm.

Friday 14th November, 6.30pm Friends of the Petrie Museum UCL Lecture Theatre G6, Institute of Archaeology, 31 Gordon Square WC1. Living in a Cultic Landscape: The Khentkawes Settlement at Giza. Talk by Ana Tavares.

Wednesday 19th November, 8pm Barnet Museum & Local History Society Church House, Wood Street, Barnet (opposite museum). AGM

Friday 21st November, 7pm C.o.L.A.S. St Olave’s Parish Hall, Mark lane, EC3R 7NB. Recent Discoveries in Battersea. Talk by Kasia Olchowska (MOLA)

Saturday 22nd November, 10am – 5pm LAMAS Local History Conference, Weston Theatre, Museum of London. Law & Order (for details see September newsletter)

Thursday 27th November, 8pm Finchley Society, Drawing Room, Stephens House & Gardens (formerly Avenue House), East End Road, N3 3QE. Xmas in London. Jean Scott Memorial Lecture given by Brenda Cole. Non-members £2.

Saturday 29th November, 10.15am – 3.30pm Amateur Geological Society’s Mineral & Fossil Bazaar St. Mary’s Hall, Hendon Lane, N3 1TR. Including rocks, books, crystals, gemstones, jewellery. Refreshments. Admission £1.

No 522 September 2014 Edited by P McSharry

HADAS DIARY 2014

Tuesday 14th October at 8pm: Finding Neanderthal tools in Norfolk cliffs. Lecture by Dr Nick Ashton of the British Museum.

Tuesday 11th November at 8pm: A Hamlet in Hendon – the Church Terrace site from the Mesolithic to the 21st century. Lecture by Jacqui Pearce. Jacqui is one of the principal authors of our latest book, and tutor of the HADAS Finds Group whose work over many years resulted in the publication of the 1973/74 excavations.

Sunday 7th December: Christmas Party 12 noon – 4.30 pm (approx.) Details coming soon.

All the above events unless otherwise stated will be held at Stephens House & Gardens (formerly Avenue House), 17 East End Road, Finchley, N3 3QE. Lectures start promptly at 8.00 pm, with coffee /tea and biscuits afterwards. Non-members welcome to the lectures (£1.00). Buses 82, 125, 143, 326 & 460 pass nearby and Finchley Central Station (Northern line) is a short walk away.

HADAS Long Outing 2015

Our long outing in 2015 will be from Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th September, staying at the Best Western Forest Lodge Hotel at Lyndhurst in the New Forest, and expecting to visit Salisbury, Winchester, Beaulieu and Bucklers Hard among other places. Any suggestions would be welcomed. At this time, we have booked the whole hotel, but we will need firm numbers by Christmas. The provisional cost is unchanged from the last three trips – £450 per person sharing a room and £495 for a single room. Please let Jo or Jim Nelhams (contact details on newsletter back page) know if you would like to come.

The Archaeology of the Anglo-Saxons

The arrival of the various Anglo-Saxon ethnic groups following the end of the Roman occupation marked a major change in the political make-up of Britain. The nature of this settlement and the emergence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms will be examined, along with the later arrival of the Vikings and the interaction of the two peoples. The unification of England into one kingdom will be studied. Themes such as settlement patterns, burial practices, political organisation, trade and urbanism will be explored for both the Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods. The course will finish with the end of Anglo-Saxon rule in 1066.

The course is arranged: by the Mill Hill Archaeological Study Society. Venue: The Eversfield Centre, 11 Eversfield Gardens, Mill Hill, NW7 2AE. Time: 10.00 – 12.00 Fridays beginning 3rd October 2014. Cost: £150 for 20 classes. Tutor: Scott McCracken.

Enrol at the first meeting. If you have not previously attended the Society’s meetings please contact the Secretary: Peter Nicholson 020 8959 4757.

LONDON & MIDDLESEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

49th Local History Conference Saturday 22 November 2014
10.30am – 5.00pm
Weston Theatre, Museum of London

Coppers, Crooks & Counsel: Law & Order in London

Download booking form by Ctrl+click or go to
http://www.lamas.org.uk/images/LAMAS_Local_Hist_conf_2014.pdf

10.30-11.00 Doors open: displays by societies in Clore Learning Centre

11.00 Opening by John Clark, President of LAMAS
11.05 Portals of the Law: How people Got Access to Justice in Medieval London – Dr Penny Tucker, historical author
11.50 Law and Business in 17th-Century London: The Lord Mayor’s Court and its Litigants – Prof. CW Brooks, History Dept. University of Durham 12.35 Presentation of Local History Publications Award – introduced by John
Hinshelwood
12.45-2.00 Lunch break – time to view societies’ displays on the floor above the

Weston Theatre
2.00 The Police of London in Transition 1750-1850 – Jerry White, Professor of History at Birkbeck
2.45 Transported Beyond the Seas: Criminal Justice and the Experience of
Punishment in the Late 18th and 19th Centuries – Tim Hitchcock,

Professor of Digital History, University of Sussex
3.15-4.00 Tea – available in the Weston Theatre foyer and the Clore Learning Centre

4.00 London’s Prisons in the 19th Century – Alex Werner, Head of History
Collections, Museum of London
4.30 Detectives in Fiction – Dr Kathryn Johnson of the British Library 5.00 Close

Local history displays by societies will be on show from 10.30am, before the conference starts at 11.00am, in the Clore Learning Centre, on the floor above the Weston Theatre, where they can be seen throughout the day, particularly during the lunch period and the afternoon break.

The Museum has disabled parking spaces for blue and orange badge holders, but they need to be booked in advance (limited space) – call Security Office 020 7814 5552. Otherwise there is an NCP car park beneath the Museum.

Lunch is not provided but may be purchased from the Museum’s cafes and bar, or bring your own to eat in the Clore Learning Centre Lunch Space, above the Weston Theatre.

Afternoon tea with biscuits will be provided free of charge in the Weston Theatre foyer and upstairs beside the local history displays.

Tickets will available from 1 September: £12 before 31 October, or £15 from 1 November. They can be purchased using PayPal via the LAMAS website, by downloading the booking form (details above) or contact Eleanor Stanier (tel: 020 8876 0252, e-mail: es@eleanorstanier.com). 48 Coval Rd, London SW14 7RL.

Kent Trip Day 2 – Dover Jim Nelhams

This would have been a tricky day without good weather. As usual, Don had booked the sunshine – so no problems. In a recent trip to Folkestone, we had hoped to visit the Roman Painted House, but the M25 conspired against us. The Painted House does not open on Mondays, so was not on our busy list for Day 2 – see Day 4 for our visit there.

Our coach dropped us midway between Dover Museum (council supported) and the pedestrian underpass under the M20 link Road. While this underpass was being constructed in 1992, workers discovered the remains of a Bronze Age boat, which after conservation is now to be found in the Museum. Part of the boat could not be excavated and remains under an office block.

THE BRONZE AGE LIFE GALLERY Audrey Hooson

The main purpose of our visit to the museum was to see the Bronze Age Life Gallery and the internationally important Bronze Age Boat. Curator Jon Iveson met us and described the finding of the boat, in September 1992, during excavations prior to the construction of the A20 road link between Folkestone and Dover, and later conservation work. The boat was in the centre of the town 6m below the present road surface and close to standing buildings. At this level the wood was waterlogged and preserved by the anaerobic sediments in which it was buried. The position, at the bottom of a deep cramped shaft, well below modern hightide level and continually flooded, posed many practical problems. It was decided to cut the boat in pieces, using a rotary saw and lift them out by crane. The whole process was recorded on 130 hours of video and there was world-wide media interest.

The surviving hull measures 2.2m by 9.5m but since it was not possible to excavate fully, the total length is not known and there are several theories. When originally seen the tool marks of its fabrication were visible. Such a large unexpected find was impossible for the Canterbury Archaeological Trust to handle and after arranging for the thirty-two pieces to be stored in a water-filled tank, funding was sought. The Dover Bronze Age Boat Trust was created in 1993, with the purpose of raising funds for preserving, publishing and displaying this important artifact. It was also decided to use it as a basis for a new gallery of Bronze Age Life in Dover museum.

Following the detailed recording of all the pieces at a scale of 1:1 the timbers were soaked in a solution of PEG for 16 months before being taken to the Mary Rose Trust for freezedrying. The necessity of cutting the vessel in sections made this simpler and the timbers remained intact with minimal shrinkage and deformation. For display the parts were repositioned and laid on a supporting frame.

The remains of the boat consist of four large planks hewn from logs of a huge straight-grained oak tree. Two flat planks form the bottom, each carved out of half a log, leaving upstanding cleats and rails to allow jointing with other boat timbers. These planks were joined together along a central butt joint, with transverse timber and wedges hammered through the cleats and central rails. Curved side planks, also possessing side cleats, were stitched to the bottom of the boat using twisted withies of yew. On the top of these there was another row of stitches; there were clearly two further planks to add height. She had been made waterproof by pressing a mixture of beeswax and animal fat into the stitches and along the seams, where pads of compressed moss wading had been added.

Figure 1 Source: http://www.dover-kent.co.uk/transport/bronze_age_boat.htm

The layout of the Bronze Age Gallery is very dramatic. The boat is in a central island case, gleaming in the bright light. Even with the truncation, the length is impressive. The themes of the wall cases explain the importance and put it in context. The tools and materials used in making a half scale reconstruction are displayed, with an interpretation of the original form. Another case shows the development of early boat design, including comparisons with the Ferriby boats found near the estuary of the River Humber in 1937. Several sections offer suggestions for the use of the boat. In the base a particular type of glauconite sand, not local to Dover, was found giving evidence of travel into the English Channel. Since there was no support for a mast it is probable that paddles were used.

The Langdon Bay Hoard of 360 bronze tools, weapons and ornaments discovered during the 1970’s at a possible ship-wreck site shows the

size of trade. It was suggested that such items, pottery and jewellery were exported in exchange for copper, tin, gold, amber, faience, furs, exotic animals and slaves though alternative explanations see the hoard as being of French type implements, an import of scrap bronze from northern France. In order to explain Bronze Age life, evidence from Swedish rock engravings, Danish bog finds and continental house sites was used. .

The Polar Bear Jo Nelhams

As we climbed the stairs to the gallery housing the Bronze Age boat, we came across a large glass cabinet in which was an enormous polar bear. It certainly gave one an idea of how powerful and frightening these animals are, and the huge size, when in a vertical stance. He is certainly not a cuddly Teddy Bear!!!

The Polar Bear was brought back to Dover by the Medical Officer of the 1894-7 Jackson-Harmsworth Arctic Expedition, Dr Reginald Koettlitz. An old boy of Dover College and a doctor in Dover, Dr Koettlitz was an intrepid explorer. His travels also took him to the Antarctic where he was Surgeon to the National Antarctic Expedition of 1904-7 led by Captain Scott. The bear stood in the surgery of Dr. Maurice Koettliz, the
explorer’s nephew, until the 1950s when it was given to the museum.

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I Jo Nelhams

After viewing the Bronze Age boat, there was time to wander around the rest of the museum.

In the corner of one of the galleries was a portrait of Queen Elizabeth 1. This portrait is one of the few paintings made for the civic environment. Dover was one of the towns that commissioned their own portrait to be displayed in the Town Hall as evidence of their loyalty to the crown.

The portrait was commissioned in the fortieth year of her reign. The cost was 25 shillings, with a special wooden frame carved with Tudor heraldic supports of a dragon and lion costing 6 shillings and 9 pence under the city mayor, “Jeromy Garrett”. The Queen is shown as head of state wearing her parliamentary robes.

Dover Town Hall

A short walk up the High Street led us to the Town Hall where we were greeted by Derek Leach, chairman of the Dover Society and two other volunteers. Tea and coffee also awaited us, and suitably refreshed, and after a brief introduction, we were divided into three groups for conducted tours of the building.

The Town Hall has a chequered history. It was founded by Hubert de Burgh, then warden of Dover Castle, in 1203. For the first 300 years, it served as a hostel for pilgrims, particularly those travelling from the continent to visit the shrine of Thomas à Becket in Canterbury, and a hospital for the sick.

For the next 300 years, it was used by the Crown as a naval victualing yard, with its
own bakery and brewery, one of several supplying the nation’s warships.

In 1834, it was sold to Dover Town Council and converted for use as a meeting hall, courtroom and gaol, and enlarged by two of the best known Victorian architects, Ambrose Poynter and William Burges. With local government reorganisation, its role as a civic centre has largely ceased.

The main area, the Stone Hall, has six Victorian stained glass windows showing important events in Dover’s history. The walls are adorned with portraits of monarchs, past mayors and Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports, including Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

St Mary’s Church Jim Nelhams

We had passed this church on our way to the Town Hall, and returned to it on our way back to the coach. Lindsay Powell Williams, one of our guides at the Town Hall, gave a brief history of the church and allowed us time to look around.

Although little evidence remains, it is possible that the original church was of Saxon origin. The current building, which sits, as does much of central Dover, on a Roman

structure, was built between 1066 and 1086, when the Domesday Book lists three churches in the town.

The present building is largely of Victorian construction and dates from about 1843. During the rebuilding, original Norman piers and arches were taken down, the stones numbered and then re-erected in their new position.

The church lost most of its windows during WW2. Most of the replacements show various historical associations between the church and the town. One, more recent window commemorates the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster of 1987 when 193 passengers and crew lost their lives.

Leaving the church, there was time for a brief walkabout. Andy Simpson and Jeffrey Lesser visited the Dover Discovery Centre next to the museum.

Dover Discovery Centre Andy Simpson

I did a quick visit to the Dover Discovery Centre (library, to you or I) at the end of the High St/Market Square, which has bright modern galleries flanking either side of the main entrance, both sides permitting viewing of exposed archaeological remains, with detailed caption panels – the footings of a demolished medieval church on one side (the town side), and parts of the Classis Britannica and Saxon Shore forts on another – not far from the Painted House and its Shore Fort west wall remains, visited and much enjoyed later that week.

Visible are the footings of the North Gatehouse of the East Gateway of the Classis Britannica fort, consisting of a rectangular room with semi-circular front dating to c.AD 130-140, discovered by Brian Philp and his team in 1974; it is overlain on its front edge by the rather overgrown solid drum-like bastion of the later Saxon Shore Fort dated around AD 270, still standing some four-six foot in height.

Jeffrey Lesser

The Dover Discovery Centre contains a reconstruction of a double Anglo Saxon grave discovered in 2009 near Wolverton in the Alkham Valley. It is unusual in that it contains two male skeletons arranged one above the other, but separately like a double decker bus. The upper is supported by a plank which lies on two short pillars of chalk. Two femurs from an earlier burial support a plank above the upper body. The upper plank is in turn surmounted with a skull, possibly belonging to the owner of the pair of femora. Were these two warriors related? A defensive ditch surrounded the mound which contained the grave.

Dover Castle Jim & Jo Nelhams

We could not visit Dover without going to the castle, which overlooks the town, but it is not as easy as you might think. There are car parks at the top of the hill within the walls, close to the main ticket office. These are reached by road through narrow and low arches (rather lower than our coach) and across a bridge leading to Canons Gate, but coaches have to drop their passengers lower down the hill below the Constable’s Gate, the main entrance since it was built by Hubert de Burgh around 1217, with a steep climb to the entrance. Luckily, we had spotted this on our reconnaissance, so had arranged for a minibus to meet the coach and take 16 of our party to the highest car park near the castle keep, while the more energetic of us scaled the footpath entrance.

The castle can be divided into four main sections. The earliest features on the site include the “pharos” or Roman lighthouse and the Anglo-Saxon church, St Mary in Castro. The pharos is a unique survivor in Britain. Another lighthouse once stood on the other side of the valley, but has not survived. Between them, they provided navigation aids for crossing the channel. Further towers were opposite on the French coast.

The next section, the inner bailey, dates from the twelfth century and formed the medieval heart of the castle. In the 1180s, Henry II remodelled the castle, planning its Great Tower as a palace. King John and Henry III continued to build extensions forming the rings of defensive walls surrounding the Great Tower.

From the 1740s onwards, the medieval banks and ditches were reshaped as the castle was adapted for artillery warfare.

In more recent times, during WW2, it was the headquarters for the Admiralty’s regional command, which utilised and adapted the “wartime tunnels”, constructed in the Napoleonic era.

Dover Castle has been of great strategic importance being located overlooking the shortest sea crossing from the continent. For over 800 years, it has been expanded and adapted above and below ground to meet the changes and challenges of the development of more powerful weapons and warfare.

From the top of the Great Tower, there are clear views across to France, and through the Channel, with its busy traffic of ferries and other shipping.

A surprise in Dover Castle Don Cooper

The inner bailey of Dover Castle has been set up as English Heritage believe it would have looked in King Henry II’s time, say AD1180. It is an extremely colourful recreation and with wood fires on each floor the castle feels almost comfortable. The recreation was completed in 2009 and has been open to the public ever since. It is well worth a visit.

However, what really took my eye was a Mappa Mundi or map of the world, hanging in one of the “king’s” rooms. English Heritage commissioned Phil and Tamara Pleasant to re-create an authentic 12th century Mappa Mundi. They took as a starting point the Sawley Map said to be the only surviving English 12th century Mappa Mundi which is in the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, modified the detail from the Mappa Mundi in Hereford Cathedral which dates to about 1300 and changed the orientation so the east is at the top and Britain at the bottom. It is centred on the Mediterranean.

The map is 3ft by 4ft and is hand-crafted in calfskin leather. The ink/paint is made from ground-up lapis lazuli, malachite, oak galls, gold leaf and “Dragon’s blood” made from the root of a shrub. It is a serious modern attempt to re-create a medieval world map.

One can imagine King Henry looking at his map of the world much as we do and wondering about the animals and peoples living in those far-away places.

My thanks to the English Heritage guide who told us all about it.

Other Societies’ Events, compiled by Eric Morgan

Saturday 13th – Sunday 14th September, 11am – 6pm. Enfield Town Show – Town Park, Cecil Road, Enfield. Enfield Society & Enfield Archaeological Society will have stands here.
Lots more stalls. Admission £3 (concessions available).
Sunday 14th September, 12 – 5.30pm. Queen’s Park Festival. Harvist Road, NW6. Willesden Local History Society will have a stand here. More stalls, entertainment, etc.

Saturday 20th September. Silk Road Festival – Cricklewood Broadway, NW2. Lots of stalls all along the Broadway and roads adjoining. Also entertainment.

Monday 29th September, 6pm. Gresham College at Museum of London. 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN. Sleepwalkers: How Europe went to War in 1914. Talk by Christopher Clark
(St Catherine’s College, Cambridge). Free.

Thursday, 2nd October, 1.00pm. Gresham College, Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn, ECIN 2HH. Exploring Ephemera: The Illumination of History. Talk by John Scott on the role of everyday documents illustrating the development of UK in the 19th century.

Thursday 2nd October, 8.00pm. Pinner Local History Society. Village Hall, Chapel Lane Car Park, Pinner. From Roxeth to the Royal Fusiliers: A Story of the Great War. Talk by Doug Kirby. Visitors £2.

Mondays at One. London Archaeology: Gresham College at Museum of London. 150, London Wall, EC2Y 5HN – in conjunction with the City of London Archaeological Trust. Demonstrating the City’s historic environment.

– Monday 6th October, 1pm. Pompey of the North – The Bloomberg Site. Talk by Sadie Watson (Mola). The extensive excavation provided a detailed narrative for the early Roman period. Waterlogged sediments preserved structures & artefacts. Free.

– Monday 13th October, 1pm. London in the not-so-Dark Ages. Talk by Lyn Blackmore (Mola). An overview of the results of over 40 years of research into the origins, development & decline of Middle Saxon Lundenwic.

– Monday 20th October, 1pm. Vanishing Archaeology: The Greenwich Fore-Shore. Talk by Natalie Cohen (Mola). Nearly 20 years of investigation of the Thames Intertidal Zone have revealed activity from Mesolithic to Modern.

– Monday 27th October, 1pm. The Archaeology of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Talk by Dr John Schofield (Mola). Recent work has brought together what we know of the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Cathedral beneath and around St Paul’s.

Tuesday 7th October, 2 – 3pm. Harrow Museum – The Granary, Headstone Manor, Pinner View, North Harrow, HA2 6PX. A General History of Pinner. Talk by Pat Clarke (Pinner LHS & LAMAS). Cost £3.50.

There are also exhibitions: Wednesday 10th September – Sunday 12th October: Our Harrow Stories, memories, objects, experiences of Harrow; Wed. 15th October – Sun. 4th January 2015 ‘Good Old Roxey’ – a pictorial history of South Harrow in the 19th & 20thCentury.

Wednesday 8th October, 1pm. Gresham College, Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn, ECIN 2HH. Interpreting Ely Cathedral. Talk by Dr Lynne Broughton. Free.

Wednesday 8th October, 6pm. Gresham College at Museum of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN. Cultural Revolution: Palaces of the early Stuart Kings. Talk by Simon Thurley (CEO of English Heritage) on patrons of art and architecture.

Monday 13th October, 3pm. Barnet Museum & Local History Society, Church House, Wood Street, Barnet (opp. Museum) July 1, 1916: The Somme – Day One. Talk by Dennis Bird. Visitors £2.
Wednesday 15th October, 7.30pm. Willesden Local History Society – St Mary’s Church Hall, Neasden Lane, NW10 2TS (Nr. Magistrates’ Court) ‘Bigamists and Two-Timers’. Talk by Signe Hoffos (CoLAS & F.O.K.G.E.) on some of the rather naughty people buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

Friday 17th October, 7pm. CoLAS – St Olave’s Parish Hall, Mark Lane, EC3R 7NB. Beyond the Mithraeum: Excavation of the Bloomberg London Site. Talk by Michael Tetrean (Mola). Visitors £2. Light refreshments after.

Friday, 17th October, 7.30pm. Wembley History Society – English Martyrs’ Hall, Chalk Hill Road, Wembley, HA9 9EW (top of Blackbird Hill, adj to church). The Jewel of Wembley. Talk by Philip Grant (Brent Archives) on the story of Burma and its people at the British Empire Exhibition from a 1924 scrapbook. Visitors £2.

Friday 17th October, 7.45pm. Enfield Archaeological Society – Jubilee Hall, 2 Parsonage Lane/jnc, Chase Side, Enfield, EN2 0AJ. Life and Death in 19th Century London. Talk by Michael Henderson (Mola). Visitors £1. Refreshments 7.30pm.

Wednesday 22nd October, 7.45pm. Friern Barnet and District Local History Society – North Middx Golf Club, The Manor House, Friern Barnet Lane, N20 0NL. Back to the Drawing Board: Transport systems that failed. £2.

Saturday 25th October, 9.45am – 4.30pm. Edmonton Hundred Historical Society Day Conference: In and Around the Cambridge Road: the longest consecutive numbered road in the country – with a speaker from Bruce Castle Museum. Also Dr Martin Dearne (E.A.S.), and Dr Jim Lewis (Author), Jubilee Hall, 2 Parsonage Lane, Enfield, EN2 0AJ. For more details and booking: Tel. 020 8363 9495, or visit www.edmontonhundred.org.uk or email: info@edmontonhundred.org.uk

Thursday 30th October, 8pm. Finchley Society Drawing Room, Avenue House (Stephens House), East End Road, N3 3QE. Discussion Meeting. For further details see Finchley Society’s Sept/Oct Newsletter. Non-members £2.

No. 521 AUGUST 2014 Edited by Stephen Brunning

HADAS DIARY 2014

Saturday 2nd August. 10am-4pm. Getting to grips with pots & pipes: the archaeology of everyday artefacts from Saxon times to Queen Victoria. Day workshop at Stephens House & Gardens. Please see July 2014 newsletter or website for details and how to book. It is not too late!

Sunday 3rd August 1.30pm. “A Hamlet in Hendon: The archaeology and history of Church End from excavations at Church Terrace, 1973-74”. Book launch at The Greyhound Public House for HADAS members and invited guests. Please see July newsletter or contact Jo Nelhams for more details.

Tuesday 8th October at 8pm: Finding Neanderthal tools in Norfolk cliffs. Lecture by Dr Nick Ashton of the British Museum.

Tuesday 11th November at 8pm: A Hamlet in Hendon –the Church Terrace site from the Mesolithic to the 21st century. Lecture by Jacqui Pearce. Jacqui is one of the principal authors of our latest book, and tutor of the HADAS Finds Group whose work over many years resulted in the publication of the 1973/74 excavations.

Sunday 7th December: Christmas Party 12 noon – 4.30 pm (approx.) Details coming soon.

All the above events unless otherwise stated will be held at Stephens House & Gardens (formerly Avenue House), 17 East End Road, Finchley, N3 3QE. Lectures start promptly at 8.00 pm, with coffee /tea and biscuits afterwards. Non-members welcome to the lectures (£1.00). Buses 82, 125, 143, 326 & 460 pass nearby and Finchley Central Station (Northern line) is a short walk away.

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Membership Renewals – a reminder. Stephen Brunning.

Many thanks to everyone those who has paid their subscription. At the time of writing however 28 members have still to do so. If you intend to renew this year, I would be grateful to receive payment by 1st September 2014 at the following rates: £15 (Full), £5 (each additional member at the same address), £6 (student). My address is on the last page of this newsletter.

It is not necessary to return the renewal form enclosed with March’s newsletter. A piece of paper with your name, postal address, telephone number and email address (if applicable) will suffice. I will then be able check the details we hold are still correct. It would also be helpful if you could indicate your willingness to receive the newsletter by email. This helps to keep our costs to a minimum. Thank you.

The House Mill, Miller’s House and Clock Mill. Jim Nelhams

The lecture on 8th April 2014 by Brian James Strong and Beverley Charters was advertised as “House Mill and its restoration”. On our return journey from the trip to Kent, we were able to fit in a visit and learn more about this important site. The write-up below is an amalgamation of the lecture and our visit.

Thanks to Vicki Baldwin and Harry and Marilyn Burgess.

Last but not least on our holiday jaunt, was our visit to Three Mills Island on our homeward journey. As some HADAS members may recollect, Three Mills Island was featured at the April meeting, so it was good to visit the site so soon afterwards.

Upon our arrival at the mill, the group assembled in the visitor’s information centre where we were afforded hot drinks, and given a brief overview of the site. We then split into two groups and were taken on a tour of the mill by our knowledgeable, enthusiastic guides.

“Probably the largest tidal mill in the world”. The House Mill is a Grade 1 listed 18th century tidal mill. It is located on a man-made island 1 mile north of the confluence of the River Lea and the Thames at Blackwall. Milling had taken place in the area for over 1000 years and mills are recorded in Domesday. These would have been watermills, as windmills were not introduced until later and the area was known as Three Mills from Medieval times. As a result of the Dissolution of the Monasteries the mills, part of Stratford Langthorne Abbey, were sold. It is known that they milled flour for the bakers of Stratford who provided bread for the City of London. Flour was not the only product. In 1588 the milling of gunpowder for use against the Armada was recorded.

In 1728 the mills were part of the distilling industry and were run by the Huguenot Peter Lefebvre. Coopers and carpenters also worked on the site which had its own piggery utilising the waste products from the distilling. By 1776 Daniel Bison was in charge and he and his son built the House, so-called because it was set between their two houses. Both Bisons died in 1777 and the mill passed into the ownership of Philip Metcalfe, a friend of Samuel Johnson. In 1802 the mill was burned down but then rebuilt. Following the death of Metcalfe in 1819 the mill was neglected until taken over by Nicholson’s Gin in 1872. The two stages of distilling gin were not allowed to take place on the same site and the raw spirit was stored “in bond” until taken elsewhere for rectifying.

At its point of maximum use, the House Mill had 4 waterwheels running 12 pairs of millstones. The nearby Clock Mill had 3 wheels running 6 pairs of stones. Production was in shifts, using the power of the river on the ebb tides, with milling for 6-8 hours per tide compared to a steam engine which could work for 24 hours. Production continued on the site, and also pig farming was introduced with up to 5000 pigs being kept in its heyday. The site was eventually owned by Nicholson’s Distillery, and the mill was last operational in 1941, when the area was bombed during the Second World War. An unlikely tale tells that the River Lea burned for a week due to the barrels of spirits from the bonded warehouse. Probably not, though!

Sadly, the mill then fell into disrepair, and became derelict. A number of the millstones were removed in the 1950’s as they were valuable and were sold to the cosmetics industry. The battle to prevent demolition began in the 1970’s, and since 1986 it has been owned by the River Lea Tidal Mill Trust.

The Trust began work in 1989 to preserve the mill and rebuild the miller’s house. While the area was being prepared, the original marble and Portland stone floor of the miller’s house was discovered along with between 1,480 and 1,500 roof fragments. It was also found that the house and mill were built on an artificial island and the original piles from the 1763 house were uncovered. It appears that the piles had been driven in, planks laid on top and then the brick walls were constructed!

The mill building has now been fully restored. The House Mill has been afforded English Heritage Grade 1 listed status.

The 5-floor mill itself is of timber frame construction with brick cladding. Some of the timbers had been recycled from the hulls of old ships. The shape of these allowed the building to flex and probably contributed to its survival.

The mill has a 19th century Poncelet waterwheel with curved float and Fairbairn’s “Silent Millstone Machinery”. These were still in use in the 1930s, and apparently use gravity and centrifugal force thus dispensing with the “damsel”. It cannot be claimed that Fairbairn (1789-1874) actually installed the system, but it is possibly the only surviving example. In addition there is the Pattern Store containing a complete set of wooden patterns – all recorded but not all the functions are known.

The House Mill remains a reminder of the vibrant industrial heritage of the River Lea and the Thames. There is still much that the Trust wishes to do to realise their plans for the House Mill. At present it offers a fascinating glimpse into the past and “probably the largest tidal mill in the world” is well worth a visit.

The area of the East End of London has since had an enormous regeneration project, in preparation for hosting the 2012 Olympic Games. As a result, the River Lea is no longer fully tidal, as a dam was put in place, prior to new housing being built.

The House Mill has been given a £2.65 million grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to restore the machinery of the mill and provide wider community benefits.

For HADAS members wishing to visit the site, it is just a short walk from Bromley-by-Bow underground station. Tours are conducted on Sunday from May to October. A word of caution; call before visiting, as the site is manned by volunteers, and on a previous visit Jim had found them closed on arrival.

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Local History Lovers Needed

James Pollard 1792–1867 The ‘Tally-Ho’ London – Birmingham Stage Coach Passing Whittington College, Highgate (1836)

Arts depot will celebrate its 10th birthday in October 2014 and has embarked upon an ambitious heritage project, Tally Ho: A Place to Meet, in partnership with the Finchley Society, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. We are looking for members of the community to help bring this project to life by feeding into an exhibition and oral history archive focused on two periods in the history of the artsdepot site – The Tally Ho Coach Company (early 19th century) and the Gaumont Cinema (1937-1980).

We need local History Lovers

Do you have photos, posters, ticket stubs, programmes or other materials relevant to the history of the Gaumont Cinema or the Tally Ho Coach Company?

We want to hear your story

We’re looking for willing volunteers to take part in oral history interviews, which will be contributed to local archives. Do you have memories about the Gaumont Cinema that you would like to share?

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, please contact the heritage project team to discuss how you can get involved.

You can reach us at:

Email: Project.manager@artsdepot.co.uk Telephone: 020 8369 5462 (Tuesdays and Thursdays)

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HADAS Long Outing to Kent. Day one: Canterbury.

In the Footsteps of Pilgrims Kevin McSharry

Sunday 29th June and the intrepid Hadasians sallied forth from the fastness of Barnet to follow in the footsteps of Pilgrims to Canterbury, their base during their exploration of the County of Kent over the next five days. Appropriately, their first port of call was the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury, to give its full and proper title, which has been a place and centre of Christian worship since the time of the Romans.

The etymology of the name Canterbury can be clearly traced in the successive variants of the name: It was an important pre-Roman centre for the local Celtic tribe the Cantiaci; Durovernum Cantiacorum was the Roman name; and Cantwareburgh the old English. The word cathedral comes from the Latin Cathedra = seat i.e. the seat or base of a bishop.

It is said that from the tiny acorn a great oak grows; and so it certainly was in the case of Canterbury. In 597 CE the Benedictine monk Augustine, at the behest of Pope St. Gregory (the first of sixteen of that name and often called Gregory the Great), led a mission to the pagan king of Kent Aethelbert and his Christian wife Bertha. Augustine’s mission was to bring Christianity to Kent and beyond. Thus from an acorn sown in the soil of Kent in 597 CE did the National and International importance of Canterbury spring. It is an amazing story.

Augustine was the first Archbishop of Canterbury and Justin Welby, Augustine’s successor is the 105th Archbishop and Primate of England. The Church of England, focused on the See of Canterbury, is regarded as the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the symbolic head of that Communion. There are 37 Provinces, covering 165 countries, in the Communion all linked by history and doctrine to Canterbury.

Let us not think that Christianity did not exist in Britain before Augustine. It did! – on the Celtic fringes but it had become isolated from the See of Peter in Rome.

Figure 1: Canterbury Cathedral

To do justice to the building that is Canterbury Cathedral (picture above) and the layers of history that
enfold it would take volumes. One could explore the Cathedral for days and even then barely peel back the layers of the history of this magnificent structure.

If Augustine was the first Archbishop to put Canterbury, as it were, on the National Map, it was Thomas Becket, the 39th Archbishop who saw it gain international prominence – at least in the context of Europe. Thomas achieved this by sacrificing his life in the heart of the Cathedral on the 29th day of December 1170 when he was assassinated by alleged emissaries of Henry II the Angevin King of England, Lord of Ireland and ruler of more than half of France. Thomas was proclaimed a martyr and within two years of his death canonised a saint. Thomas’s tomb became a shrine and an International Centre of Pilgrimage.

Figure 2: Geoffrey Chaucer

Our own Geoffrey Chaucer, father of English Literature, wrote of those pilgrims in his “Canterbury Tales”. Chaucer is a crucial figure in developing the legitimacy of English at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were French and Latin. Chaucer’s sister-in-law was Katherine Swynford, third wife of John of Gaunt and stepmother of Henry IV, also buried in the Cathedral, of whom we will hear more anon.

Becket’s shrine was dismantled and destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII. Nothing of its magnificence remains. The actual site of the martyrdom is a cross before which is a prie-dieu where on May 29th 1982 the Bishop of Rome, John Paul II, and the Bishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, knelt in prayer for the unity of Christendom.

Figure 3: the nave of Canterbury Cathedral looking towards the screen and quire

Two tombs in the Cathedral have echoes resonant of the Wars of the Roses, that dynastic internecine conflict. On the north side of Trinity Chapel, and directly adjacent to the site of the shrine of St. Thomas Becket, is the tomb of King Henry IV (Henry of Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire) the usurper Lancastrian King who deposed his first cousin Richard II and seized the throne of England for himself and his heirs. On the south side of the shrine lies Edward of Woodstock (later known as the Black Prince) Henry IV’s uncle and father of the deposed Richard II.

The Battle of Bosworth (22nd August 1485) brought closure to the dynastic war of the Red (Lancastrian) and White (Yorkist) Roses. However, memories of that Battle and the conflict of the Roses have headlined the news as the good people of Leicester prepare to give honourable burial to the last Plantagenet King, Richard III, in their Cathedral after he was discovered under a municipal car park.

Chichele Road in our own Cricklewood is a local connection with the Great Cathedral of Canterbury. Henry Chichele, 60th Archbishop of Canterbury (1363-1443) is also buried in the Cathedral by the upper choir. Chichele founded All Souls College Oxford, which, and I surmise, owned land in the Boroughs of Barnet and the adjacent Brent hence Chichele Road.

Figure 4: tomb of Henry Chichele

Henry Chichele is buried in a cadaver tomb which depicts his naked corpse on the lower level; while on the upper level he is shown resplendent in full archiepiscopal robes. The inscription on his tomb reads: “I was a pauper born then to primate raised. Now I am cut down and served up for worms. Behold my grave” – an accurate description except for “pauper” which was wide of the truth.

Canterbury Cathedral, headquarters of the Anglican Communion, lies in the heart of the City of Canterbury. The ecclesial prominence of the Cathedral is the raison d’être for Canterbury’s importance both on the national and international stage and the reason why pilgrims and tourists flock to this small provincial Home County city. Its prominence has caused it to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Cathedral was rightly our first port of call in the City of Canterbury, the base for our explorations of the Garden of England, Kent, and where we were comfortably housed in the well-appointed and excellent Best Western Hotel Barton Abbots. The Cathedral was the starting point of our explorations over the next five enjoyable, interesting and stimulating days.

(Sadly, our time in the Cathedral was truncated by a special service, and we were unable to schedule a return visit to do justice to this splendid building.)

St George’s Church Frances Radford

After arriving in Canterbury, the first building to strike one is a knapped flint and stone tower, all which is left of St George’s Church after the Baedeker night raid on the city on 1st June 1942. The plaque giving this information was placed here in 1992, the 50th anniversary of the bombing. Another plaque states that “Christopher Marlowe, dramatist, was baptised in the church 26 February 1564 and died at Deptford 30 May 1593” – a short life! Marlowe was assassinated in a tavern brawl possibly, so it is thought, either in a dispute over a bill or more likely due to his involvement in secret service activities.

Canterbury Cathedral Simon Williams

The Anglo-Saxon cathedral had been gutted by fire in 1067 and was a ruin. The first thing that Benedictine monk Lanfranc, later to become its Archbishop, did on his arrival in England in 1070 (with the backing of William the Conqueror) was to perform a re-build with Caen stone.

Archbishop Lanfranc’s Crypt (c.1120) by buggy (2014) Simon Williams

It was encouraging that there was a full-access disabled route. I was led by a kind guide round the east end of the Cathedral past substantial, intriguingly hidden, Dissolution ruins, and to the cloisters (1396-1420). Here was an enlightened crypt access entry point; no need to dismount from my disabled steed here or in the crypt itself; but I could drive straight in and around! Inside, the low-light and unhurried, uncrowded ambience was very atmospheric, which was enhanced by candlelight. Here plain short pillars give way to a flourish of fanciful capitals, including tumblers and caricatures of zoomorphic musicians, which were carved vigorously and energetically; those at the west end are the earliest cushion capitals in England. Surprisingly, original chancel columns and 7th century (or disputably 9th century) cross fragments from Reculver’s Saxon Church are also to be found within. St Gabriel’s Chapel (c. 1110) has a fine display of wall-paintings which were preserved by chance.

A special thanks to Jim for kindly arranging the hire, collection and return of the scooter from outstandingly helpful Finchley All-Mobility, together with our driver Gareth for the arduous task of knocking it down, re-assembling, and unloading/lifting it back into the coach at almost every stop of the holiday.

St Gabriel’s Chapel Dot Ravenswood

The beautiful wall-paintings in St Gabriel’s chapel are exceptionally well preserved because they are in an apse which was walled up in the late 12th century and only reopened in 1879. The arched recess is covered in biblical scenes painted in bright reds, blues and yellows, with figures holding explanatory banners. Some of the lettering on the banners is legible: the words “sed vocabitur… est nomen” help to identify one of the scenes as the Naming of John the Baptist. Canterbury Historical and Archaeology Society (CHAS) has photos and more information on its website: http://www.canterbury- archaeology.org.uk/#/frescoes/4567502887

Figure 5: one of the capitals in St Gabriel’s Chapel.

A Boat on the Stour Liz and Andrew Tucker

Whenever we go on holiday, if there is a river, seaside or Venetian canal nearby we always look for a boat trip. In Canterbury, it was a lovely sunny day for a trip along the river Stour. This river consists of a number of different branches. There was a choice between a punt and a rowing boat. We chose the rowing boat as being more stable.
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Setting off from a landing stage with a ducking stool by it, our own guide rowed us past various historic buildings, which reminded us even more of Venice, as they were mostly pizza restaurants. We had to duck as we went under some very low bridges, including the oldest road bridge in Great Britain. We passed a green, overgrown island, once the site of a Franciscan monastery.

Passing the landing stage to go in the other direction we were in time to see the rower on another tour boat pitch over backwards and vanish under the surface. He quickly reappeared as the water was only a metre deep, but did not look too happy, and we had to chase after one of his oars.

On the way back, we passed a modern building, the Marlowe Theatre, named after Canterbury’s famous playwright. The guide reminded us of the strange theory that Marlowe was not murdered, but escaped abroad, to act as a spy and write Shakespeare’s plays. I don’t know if he really believed this!

Museums Jim Nelhams

With so much history, it comes as no surprise that that the city has several museums. Nearest to the Cathedral is the Roman Museum which boasts a Roman mosaic in situ. Like many Roman sites, it was discovered by accident. The dig itself is nicely documented.

The Heritage Museum shows local history through the ages. It also invites you to re-visit childhood with the original film props for Bagpuss, the Clangers, the Pogles, Ivor the Engine and Noggin the Nog.

All these characters featured in films by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, who both came to live near Canterbury and began collaborating in 1958. Oliver Postgate wrote the stories, produced the films and animated the characters, which were made by Peter Firmin and his wife Joan. Many of the programmes were filmed in Firmin’s barn in Blean, just outside Canterbury.

You can also meet Rupert Bear and his Canterbury creator Mary Tourtel in fun-packed displays. These include original illustrations by Tourtel and her successor, Albert Bestall, as well as memorabilia and images of the latest animated Rupert Bear.

Mary Tourtel, who was born in Canterbury and studied art here, was asked by the Daily Express to invent a children’s character for the newspaper, to match those of rival press. Her creation, Rupert Bear, first appeared in the Daily Express on Monday 8 November 1920 in a single frame illustration to the story of ‘Little Lost Bear’, which continued daily. Tourtel illustrated and wrote Rupert stories until 1935, after which Albert Bestall continued the strip cartoons.

Ted would not let me escape without mentioning the Beaney Art Museum and Library. This has displays of a number of historic artefacts. Most of the art is by local artists. The highlight during our visit was on loan from the Victoria & Albert Museum – an extensive display entitled “The Teddy Bear Story”, telling the story of the “invention” of the articulated Teddy Bear, with lots of examples from Steiff up to the present day.

“ALL OVER BY CHRISTMAS”. Reviewed by Peter Pickering

I have just been reading David Berguer’s very timely new book with this title. It is an account of the First World War from the perspective of our part of North London; as the blurb says, it tells the story of how civilians coped with everything from sugar rationing to Zeppelin raids and how initial patriotism and optimism gave way to war weariness and a realisation that victory was by no means inevitable. The book discusses many aspects of the impact the war had, including those on taxation, and on the work of women. It contains a large number of illustrations, many culled from the Barnet Press, ranging from crudely anti-German cartoons to exhortations to eat less bread and to make cakes with egg-substitute. The many extracts from letters from men in the trenches are striking and moving; the Barnet Press encouraged people receiving such letters to send them in for publication (one describes the extraordinary Christmas truce of 1914 – though this particular company were forbidden by their officers to accept the challenge to a game of football). More remarkably, one young lady wrote long letters every week throughout the war to her fiancé who was serving in Egypt and Turkey; he kept them, and their daughter has allowed extracts to be published. Since she worked in the City, they reveal the impact of the war there, as well as in Muswell Hill, where she lived. The book has appendices listing the names on war memorials in Finchley, Friern Barnet and Whetstone, with biographical details as available, and of the Zeppelin and aeroplane raids in Britain.

The book is published by Keith Martin’s Chaville Press (148 Friern Park). I thoroughly recommend it.

Want to learn a new subject….for free? Stephen Brunning

Try FutureLearn. They are an online education company wholly owned by the Open University in partnership with 20 well know UK universities and other institutions.

There are a number of courses to choose from, with more being added all the time. I am halfway through “England in the time of Richard III”. This is delivered online only over six weeks with a different theme each week. Other courses vary between 2 and 10 weeks. The time commitment again varies; mine being just 3 hours per week. There are a couple of Roman courses in there (Hadrian’s Wall & the archaeology of Portus), plus Shakespeare & Maritime Archaeology.

Learners (as they are called), read articles, watch short videos, and listen to audio interviews. They then have to option to comment on the module which other learners can see and reply to. A really nice touch is the ability to download and print the video transcripts. At the end of each week there is a multiple choice test review which the computer scores and counts towards your overall mark. Due to the large number of participants, no direct contact is possible with the lecturer although I have seen her reply to a couple of comments on the blog.

At the end of the course learners have the option of buying a “Statement of Participation”. These cost £24 each plus p&p. I was wondering how the company made their money and guess this could be one way. There is no obligation to purchase though.

www.futurelearn.com.

Other Societies’ Events, compiled by Eric Morgan

Friday 15th August, 7pm. C.O.L.A.S. Wapping Walkabout. Guided walk led by Peter Smith (qualified London Guide). Meet at Tower Hill station by bronze statue of Trajan. Lasts 2 hours. Cost £4 (non-members).

Sunday 31st August, 3-5pm. Avenue House (now Stephens House & Gardens). East End Road, N3 3QE. Bothy Gardens Annual Garden Party. ALSO Sunday 17th August & Sunday 21st September, 1-5pm. Bothy Gardens Open Afternoon. HADAS are usually in the Garden Room on Sunday mornings from 10.30am.

Monday 8th September, 3pm. Barnet Museum and Local History Society. Church House, Wood St, Barnet (opposite museum). Political causes of the First World War. Talk by Alan Smith. Visitors £2 (members free). ALSO Saturday 13th September. Coach outing to Ely Cathedral. For details contact Pat Alison at 37 Ladbroke Drive, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 1QR (tel 01707 858430) or email patron37@sky.com, or telephone Barnet Museum on 020 8440 8066.

Tuesday 9th September, 7.45pm. Amateur Geological Society, The Parlour, St Margaret’s Church,Victoria Avenue N3 1BD (off Hendon Lane). Portals to the Past: geology and archaeology on the Crossrail Project. Talk by Jay Carver (Crossrail Lead Archaeologist).

Wednesday 10th September, 7.45pm. Union Church Hall, Corner Ferme Park Road/Weston Park N8 9PX. Alexandra Palace: the way forward. Talk by Duncan Wilson. Visitors £2. Refreshments 7.40pm.

Friday 12th September, 7.45pm. Enfield Archaeological Society. Jubilee Hall, 2 Parsonage Lane/Junction of Chase Side, Enfield EN2 0AJ. The Rose Theatre discovered & The Rose revealed. Presidential Address by Harvey Sheldon (also HADAS President). Visitors £1. Refreshments 7.30pm.

Saturday 13th September, 10am. Enfield Society. Heritage walk around Edmonton. Led by Monica Smith with visits to Lamb’s Cottage & All Saints Church. To apply for tickets FREE please send SAE and include your telephone number to: Emma Halstead, Jubilee Hall, 2 Parsonage Lane, Enfield EN2 OAJ. (Maximum of 2 tickets per person). Jubilee Hall telephone number 020 8363 9495.

Sunday 14th September, 11am-3pm. C.O.L.A.S. at the Tower of London for the Mayor’s Thames Festival. Together with the Thames Discovery Programme, Thames 21, Museum of London Docklands, Historic Royal Palaces & various other groups. Displays of ceramics, pipes, shoes & leather plus other foreshore finds.

Wednesday 17th September, 7.30pm. Willesden Local History Society. St Mary’s Church Hall, Neasden Lane, NW10 2TS (near St Margaret’s Court). Willesden & the First World War. Talk by Margaret Pratt (General Secretary).

Wednesday 17th September, 7.45pm. Edmonton Hundred Historical Society. Jubilee Hall, 2 Parsonage Lane, Enfield EN2 0AJ. Enfield’s Industrial Heritage. Talk by Stephen Gilburton. .

Friday 19th September, 7pm. C.O.L.A.S. St Olave’s Parish Hall, Mark Lane, EC3R 7NB. Life and Death in the Bronze Age of Southern England: new discoveries in the Thames Valley and beyond. Talk by Neil Wilkins. Visitors £2.

Saturday 20th September, 11am-3pm. C.O.L.A.S at the Museum of London Docklands for the Mayor’s Thames Festival. Together with the various groups as on Sunday 14th September (above). Displays & activities. West India Quay, Hertsmere Road, E14 4AL.

Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st September. London Open House Weekend. FREE access to over 800 buildings, including: Myddelton House & Gardens, Bulls Cross Enfield EN2 9HG (Saturday 10am-4pm), Three Mill House Mill, Three Mills Lane, Bromley-by-Bow, E3 3DU (Saturday & Sunday 11am-4pm). A guided tour of the grinding stones and waterwheels is available at this historic site which was the subject of the HADAS lecture in April 2014. Details at www.openhouselondon.org.uk.

Sunday 21st September. Finchley Goes to War. Special commemorative walk led by Mark King (London Blue Badge Guide) will explore Finchley’s role in WW1, including a wide range of stories, various forms of memorial, home of the very first soldier to die in the war, public buildings that served as wartime hospitals, how Finchley’s green fields played a vital role in feeding local families, plus the famous “naked lady”. Starts at Henly’s Corner and includes a break at Stephens House. Details and booking at www.worldwaronewalks.com.

Wednesday 24th September, 7.45pm. Friern Barnet & District Local History Society. North Middlesex Golf Club, The Manor House, Friern Barnet Lane, N20 0NL. Bugging the Nazis in WWII. Talk by Helen Fry. Non-members £2. Refreshments and bar.

Thursday 25th September, 8pm. Finchley Society. Martin School, High Road, East Finchley N2 (entrance at the end of Plane Tree Walk). Outreach Meeting. Covering topics relevant to the East Finchley area. Visitors £2. (HADAS are digging here).

Saturday 27th September. Enfield Society. Dugdale Centre, Enfield Museum, Thomas Hardy House, 39 London Road, Enfield EN2 6DS. Day Conference. Focusing on the current exhibition looking at World War I in Enfield. Talk by Ian Jones (EAS) along with re-enactors telling the story of the Cuffley airship crash and a soldier in WW1 uniform talking about his kit & weapons, plus a display of firearms and a presentation on the Lee Enfield Rifle. Tickets cost £13 and include lunch, morning coffee and afternoon tea. To book send SAE to “Study Day”, Jubilee Hall, 2 Parsonage Lane, Enfield EN2 0AJ. Please include your telephone number and enclose cheque for £13 made payable to “The Enfield Society”.