No.646 January 2025 Edited by Peter Pickering
HADAS DIARY – Forthcoming lectures and Events
Lectures take place in the Avenue House Drawing Room.17 East End Road, Finchley N3 3QE, 7.45 for 8pm. Buses 13, 125, 143, 326 and 460 pass close by, and it is a five to ten-minute walk from Finchley Central Station on the Barnet Branch of the Northern Line. Bus 382 also passes close to Finchley Central Station. We are also on the SuperLoop Bus, SL10. Tea/Coffee/biscuits will be available for purchase after the talks..
Saturday 18 January, 10.30am to 4.00pm. A Study Day at Avenue House by our President, Jacqui Pearce of the Museum of London Archaeology entitled “Clay Pipes: how to identify them and what they mean” This study day has not yet filled up, and we are anxious to make it a success; so if you have been thinking about it or meaning to enrol but have not yet got round to it, do so now. Send your £5 (£10 for non-members) to HADAS (Bank code 40-52-40) account No. 00007253, with your surname and SD125 as a reference with the payment.
Tuesday 11 February by Nick Peacey on the Highgate Wood kiln’s site. See article in November issue of the HADAS newsletter (No. 644).
Tuesday 11 March by Robert Stephenson from COLAS on London’s most curious stones and bones. London possesses many unusual and out-of-place stones as well as several curious bones and burial places, all of which have fascinating tales to tell.
Tuesday 8 April Hugh Petrie (London Borough of Barnet archivist) Mapping the Kingdom. The colourful maps of the first County Series, were one of the greatest feats of the Victorian period. This lecture is the story of the first large scale survey of England made in the 1860s at “1:2500 OR 25.344 INCHES TO THE MILE.” The lecture looks at how and why the survey was carried out, the people who made it happen, from the labourers through to the sappers and officers of the Royal Engineers, and how the maps tell us about local history, using maps from the local studies collection of the London Borough of Barnet.
Tuesday May 13. Les Capon (AOC Archaeology) A community /HLF excavation at Cranford, Hillingdon with trenching over 4 seasons that discovered Romano British roundhouses, Saxon houses, medieval and Tudor and post-medieval remains and intact cellars.Encompassing the Bronze Age to the 19th century.
Weekend June 7 & 8 2025 Barnet Medieval Festival at Lewis of London Ice Cream Farm, Fold Farm, Galley Lane, Barnet, Herts. EN5 4RA
Tuesday 10 June 2025 Annual General Meeting.
HADAS Christmas Tea Sandra Claggett
We had our festive get together on the 1st of December in the nicely decorated Salon room which was well attended with nearly 30 members and guests. Avenue House looked after us well with sandwiches hot food fruit juice and tea and coffee. There was also a bar for those who wanted an alcoholic beverage.
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Liz provided HADAS with some beautiful cakes as on other years and they were very tasty.
We thank Jim and Jo Nelhams for the quiz. Jim was the Quiz master with some interesting questions on music general knowledge and London railways. The latter with questions such as which underground station has a London underground river flowing through it? and which radio programme did Mornington Crescent appear in?
Among the difficult questions on the music quiz for on our table were ‘what is the source of ‘And I couldn’t turn it on’ and another question was what is the source of ‘measuring the marigolds’. It was great fun and got everyone at the table talking and comparing notes.
Thank you for everyone that provided raffle prizes, the raffle raised £120.
We had a great time and thank everyone for coming along and adding to the celebrations.
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HADAS site visit to The Birches, 18 Totteridge Village Bill Bass
A short notice site-visit was organised by Greer Dewdney (London Archaeological Advisor) for 16th November at The Birches, 18 Totteridge Village which has produced evidence of the 17th century Poynters Hall with later extensions. The original part of the building includes some very impressive, vaulted cellars.
Poynters Hall was a house originally in the ownership of Sir Richard Gurney, a royalist in the English Civil War and Lord Mayor of London, who died in the Tower of London in 1647. It had a succession of largely aristocratic owners before being demolished around 1925. The tower clocks from the stables were donated to the nearby St Andrews church; another reminder of Poynters Hall is a line of trees along the former approach road crossing Totteridge Green” (Wikipedia – Poynters Grove)
On arrival to the site, we were shown around by the site-director Les Capon of AOC archaeology who kindly gave up a Saturday for the visit to happen. A 1950s house had been demolished leaving the foundations and the cellars of previous structures. From the entrance we were looking north, the ‘main ’section of the house would have been to the front, an apsidal extension behind this and to the right the remains of the vaulted cellar dating back to the 1640s. Beyond to the north would have been landscaped grounds but since built over.
The vaulted cellar was thought to have been the earliest structural remains; the type and size of the bricks and the type of mortar pointed to a mid-17th century date; a drain/soakaway was to be recorded with evidence of ‘putlok ’holes in the walls for wooden scaffolding which if correct may be an early use of this system. A possible windowsill may show evidence of a south facing high-up light-giving opening. To the south of this cellar was a smaller one of similar date, there was evidence of coal stains and staircase so may have been a coal cellar or a source of heating. Here you could see earlier brickwork with later types on top.
A large later apsidal foundation facing north may have been a room to look over the gardens, but there was also speculation of a chapel, a nearby tin-glazed wall-tile showing a religious figure which could lend credence to the chapel theory.
A house next door may also be demolished and could contain further cellars from Poynters Hall which will need archaeological recording.
Les showed a collection of mid-17th century finds, not from this site but to give an impression of the sort of pottery, clay-pipe and glassware you would expect to find. Many thanks to Les and Greer for the opportunity to inspect impressive archaeological remains from a Barnet site.
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Enfield Archaeological Society Excavations at Monken Hadley Common. Martin J. Dearne
Monken Hadley Common, almost the last untouched remnant of Enfield Chase, is of archaeological interest mainly because of the presence of a later prehistoric enclosure. It was discovered in 1913 (Taylor 1913) and is an ovate bank and ditch defined enclosure of c. 4 ha on patches of gravel geology with a possible entrance at a southern angle. Though damaged by the construction of a railway line through it in 1847, a section cut in 1951 showed an inner bank rising 1.52 m from the base of a 3.00 m wide V-shaped ditch (Renn 1952/4), but limited EAS excavations in 1972 produced no significant results (Green 1973). HADAS excavations in 1983 obtained a second section through the defences, but added nothing further (Wrigley 1983). Indeed, often regarded as a small Iron Age ‘hillfort ’(though how appropriate that term is might be questioned) the site is, however, undated and associated worked flint has been suggested as having been deposited as ballast during railway construction. Its interpretation is further complicated by the presence of areas of quartzite potboilers within it which appear likely to be burnt mounds which are generally more associated with Bronze Age activity and so may hint at continuity of use of the site over a long period. It sits on a low hill 30 m south of the line of the Green Brook, a small stream that runs through the still quite heavily wooded common, and here a flood alleviation scheme involving a little widening of part of the stream and a small ‘wetland cell ’(essentially a large pond) was proposed by the London Borough of Enfield.
As the EAS’s fieldwork team includes current and retired professional archaeologists it has for some years fulfilled the role commercial providers normally would on such Enfield council projects and in September 2024 it undertook the evaluation excavation required by conditions placed on the grant of planning permission (by Barnet Council – by a quirk of the 1963 London Government reorganisation the site is in the borough of Barnet). Such evaluations are not typically what you might think – we don’t excavate entirely by hand but supervise machine excavation in shallow spits, turning to hand excavation only if and when features appear. In this case too everything was metal detected as there was a vague possibility of finds deriving from the 1471 Battle of Barnet being present (though this was probably fought some kilometres away).
As is not uncommon in such evaluations there was no archaeology present – the four trenches excavated showed a fairly thin woodland soil lay over an entirely undisturbed subsoil developing on the top of a natural deposit of brickearth which here coats the underlying Lea Valley gravels. Never the less it is important to undertake such evaluations because it is only by doing them that we can be sure that new infrastructure projects are not going to remove important information about, in this case, the fairly poorly understood pattern of settlement and other activities in the area in the later prehistoric period.
- Green, J. (1973) Hadley Wood Earthwork, Enfield Archaeological Society Newsletter (Bulletin of the EAS) 73 (March 1973).
- Renn, D. (1952/4) Hadley Wood Earthwork, Trans. East Herts. Arch. Soc. 13ii, 204 – 6.
- Taylor, H. D. (1913) Prehistoric Earthwork in Hadley Wood, TLAMAS NS 4i, 97 – 9.
- Wrigley, B. (1983) The Dig at Hadley Wood, Hendon and Dist. Arch. Soc. Newsletter, August 1983, 7 – 9 and October 1983, 2.
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OTHER SOCIETIES’ EVENTS compiled by Eric Morgan
Please check with the organisations before setting out in case of any changes / cancellations. Many organisations expect a small contribution from visitors.
Tuesday 14th January, 8 pm. Amateur Geological Society. Talk on Zoom. Death and Destruction in the Red Beds of Russia. The Greatest Mass Extinction of all Time. Talk by Professor Michael Benton. At the end of the Permian period, 90% of species were wiped out. The cause has been a mystery. Numerous hypotheses have been presented including impact by an Asteroid, but the consensus now focusses on massive volcanic eruption in Siberia. For details of link visit https://amgeosoc.wordpress.com.
Tuesday 14th January, 8 pm. Historical Association: North London Branch. Jubilee Hall, 2, Parsonage Lane/Junction Chase Side, Enfield, EN2 0AJ. Queens as Co-Rulers: Examining Power Sharing and Ruling Partnerships in the Pre-Modern World. Talk by Dr. Ellie Woodacre. Non-members contribution £2. Payable at the door.
Wednesday 15th January,7.30p.m. Willesden Local History Society, St.Mary’s Church Hall, bottom of Neasden Lane (round corner from Magistrates Court)London,NW10 2DZ. Becoming Brent. Talk by the Brent Archive team, who will update on their projects in this year of Becoming Brent, and the commemoration of the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley in 1924/5.For further details please visit www.willesden-local-history.co.uk.
Friday 10th January, 7.30 pm. Enfield Archaeological Society. Talk on Zoom. Who Built London and Why? Talk given by Professor Dominic Perring (UCL.)
Visit www.enfarch.soc.org for further details and link.
Thursday 16th January, 7.30 pm. Camden History Society. Talk on Zoom. Oliver Heaviside = an Electrical Genius of the Victorian Age. Talk by Hugh Griffiths. Visit www.camdenhistory.org for further details and link.
Wednesday 22nd January, 7.45 pm. Friern Barnet and District Local History Society. North Middlesex Golf Club, the Manor House, Friern Barnet Lane, London, N20 0NL. The 1950s. Talk by Terence Atkinson. Please visit www.friernbarnethistory.org.uk for further details. Non-members contribution £2. Bar available.
Sunday 2nd February, 10.30 am. Heath and Hampstead Society. Kenwood Estate versus Hampstead Heath – History and Relationship. Meet at entrance to old Kitchen Garden, east of Kenwood House stable block, off Hampstead Lane, London, N6. Guided walk led by Thomas Radice (Trustee). Lasts approximately 2 hours. Donations – £5. Please contact Tereza Pultarova. 07776 649163. Email hhs.walks@gmail.com or visit www.heathandhampstead.org.uk.
Tuesday 4th February, 11 am. Enfield Society. Jubilee Hall (Address as for H.A. North London Branch Tues 14th January.) Dolly Shepherd. Talk by Kirsten Forrest. Dolly Shepherd was a pioneering fairground parachutist, who made her first and last jumps at Alexandra Park. She also went to serve in both World wars. There will also be an update on recent developments at Alexandra Palace. Visit www.enfield.society.org.uk. for further details.
Tuesday 11th February, 6.30 pm. L.A.M.A.S. Also on Zoom. Book on Eventbrite via website www.lamas.org.uk/lectures/html. Non-members contribution £2.50. A.G.M. and Presidential Address by Professor Vanessa Harding (Birkbeck U.L.) Mapping Early Tudor London. with special reference to The Historic Towns Trust’s Map of London 1520.
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Wednesday 12th February, 2.30 pm. Mill Hill Historical Society. Trinity Church, 100, the Broadway, London. NW7 3TB. The History of Pentonville Prison. Talk by Sarah Bourn. www.millhill-hs.org.uk.
Thursday 20th February, 8 pm. Historical Association: Hampstead and N.W. London Branch. Fellowship House, 136A, Willifield Way, London, NW11 6YD (off Finchley Road, Temple Fortune). Agincourt Myth and Reality. Talk by Professor Anne Curry (Past President of H.A. and in 2015 was chair of Agincourt 600). It was fought on the 25th October 1415 with victory for Henry V. Also on Zoom. Please email Dudley Miles (HADAS) on dudleyramiles@googlemail.com or telephone 07469 754075 for details of link and how to pay (there may be a voluntary charge of £5). Refreshments afterwards.
Friday 21st February, 7.30 pm. Wembley History Society. St. Andrew’s Church Hall (behind St. Andrew’s New Church) Church Lane, Kingsbury, London. NW9 8RZ. The Mercenary River. Talk by Nick Higham. He introduces his book on the river that gave us the company that gave us all the other companies. Visitors charge £3. Refreshments to be available in the interval.
Wednesday 26th February, 7.45 pm. Friern Barnet and District Local History Society. North Middlesex Golf Club (Address as for Wednesday 22nd January). Aircraft through the Ages. Talk by a speaker from De Havilland. For further details please see January talk.
Thursday 27th February, 7.30 pm. Finchley Society. Drawing Room, Avenue House, 17 East End Road, London. N3 3QE. The Royal Air Force Museum. Talk by David Keen on the story of the historic site at Hendon from the days of aviation pioneer Claude Grahame-White through the Hendon air shows of the twenties and thirties to RAF Hendon’s role in both world wars and the development of the museum. www.finchleysociety.org.uk. Non-members contribution £2 at the door. Refreshments in the interval.
Hendon and District Archaeological Society
Chair Sandra Claggett, c/o Avenue House, 17 East End Road, Finchley N3 3QE
email : chairman@hadas.org.uk
Hon. Secretary Janet Mortimer 34 Cloister Road, Childs Hill, London NW2 2NP
(07449 978121), email: secretary@hadas.org.uk
Hon. Treasurer Roger Chapman, 50 Summerlee Ave, London N2 9QP (07855 304488),
email: treasurer@hadas.org.uk
Membership Sec. Jim Nelhams, 61 Potters Road, Barnet EN5 5HS (020 8449 7076)
email: membership@hadas.org.uk
Website: www.hadas.org.uk
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