 In October 2004 (Newsletter
No.77) I reported on the remains of a mysterious structure in the
grounds of Haigh Hall (or plantations as we know them locally). The
mystery has now been resolved with a letter from a Mr J Smith from Fife in
Scotland, who has sent me some photographs of the structure before it was
demolished. He says he took these photos in 1968 so the remains are much
younger than they appear. Having played many times as a boy in the
plantations before that date, I can honestly say I never came across it
(although it must be said it is a bit off the beaten track).
Looking at
the photographs it seems obvious now how the building would have operated
as a kennel. It wasn't at all clear on the ground, but the photographs
clearly show that the internal area was divided to match the outer area
(obviously this was to keep the dogs separated from each other - or in
separate teams). Each internal quadrant may also have had a pitched roof,
which is possibly just visible if you look closely. This could also
explain the iron pipes we noticed coming up from the floor, which seem
likely to be the drains.
Mr Smith has also received a letter from a Mrs
Bradbury, who now lives in Australia, which may confirm its use as a dog
kennel. She wrote after seeing an article about it in Past Forward (No.37
Autumn 2004). In the letter she recalls her mother, who was brought up in
Aspull, telling them about visiting a relative who was the kennel keeper
for the Earl of Crawford. She also related how well the dogs had been
trained (presumably for hunting) but unfortunately, she doesn't say what
type of dogs they were. The actual date of the kennel could well be
pre-Victorian as it appears on the 6" OS map of 1849. There is just
one small point, which I can't resolve, which is that there only seems to
be one entrance, however I may have missed the others or perhaps they have
been destroyed (something to look for on a future visit).
Website Changes
You may have noticed that Adrian Morris has revamped our society
website, making it much easier to use and also simpler to update. Adrian
has done a great job over the last few years keeping the website up to
date and making various additions from time to time. This site has thus
attracted much attention from far and wide and I would like to than him on
behalf of the society for his efforts. Regretfully, as mentioned at last
month's meeting, Adrian has decided to leave our group, but I'm sure we
all wish him well and thank him for the huge contribution he has made over
the years. I'm sure we all hope he will return sometime in the future.
Summer Trip
 Sunday 13th August to Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall (and we should also
have time to visit a section of the Wall itself on the way back). We
haven't worked a price out yet; it will depend on numbers, but the
entrance price is £5 and I'm guessing the over all cost should not be
more than £20 (half price for children). If you want to go on the trip,
please fill in the enclosed form. Vindolanda is a site that is constantly
developing with new discoveries being made every year. Last year a huge
timber building was discovered at least 40 metres long, with oak posts
measuring 66 x 43cms. Also a section of fallen fort wall was found, still
mortared together, 30 metres long and heeled over due to very poor
foundations. Below this were the well-preserved remains of two very fine
turf ramparts - one with the turf layered horizontally and timber
strapping, and the other with turf piled up in random fashion. More
discoveries await this year. If you want to learn more, their website is www.vindolanda.com
Next WAS Meeting
Wednesday 3rd May at the District Scout HQ (Baden Powell Centre) in
Greenough Street, starting at 7.30 pm as usual. Our speaker this month is
Zosia Archibald, from Liverpool University who will be talking about the
famous Greek sculptor Pheidias. For those who don't know (and I must admit
I wasn't sure) he is the one who is responsible for the construction of
the Parthenon. Many people consider him to be the Leonardo Da Vinci of his
day.
Hope to see you there. B.A.
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