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Saturday 21st July from 10.30am till 4.00pm. Our own Ian Trumble, who works at the Bolton Museum, has arranged this open day to showcase the work of the various archaeological groups from around the region. There will be displays from more than half a dozen societies including Bolton, Bury Tameside, Holcombe Moor and South Trafford. There will also be talks throughout the day starting at 11.00am with one from me about our Rectory project. At 12.00am Brian Grimsditch will be talking about Dig Greater Manchester and Community Involvement. At 1.00pm Kevin Wright from Tameside Archaeology Society will be talking about Francis Buckley and the Boar Flat Archaeological Evaluation.
Finally at 2.00pm Joyce Tyldesley will be giving her talk about Bolton Archaeology and Egyptology Society. As an extra treat, Norman Redhead from GMAAS will be running a stall with a live version of the Heritage Environment Register (HER). It will be displayed on a projector so that people can search in places they are interested in. If you want to go, you can find the Museum in the Le Mans Crescent (not far from the Bus Station).
Rectory Latest
In spite of the weather, work continues in the grounds of the Rectory (it's been the wettest June on record but, once again, our petrol pump has proved its worth). We have now reopened the area where the water feature used to be located. This is to investigate the ditch feature we discovered on the north side of trench one in April (reported in our May Newsletter No.154). Last year, when we removed the water feature (which we reported in our July Newsletter No.146), we discovered a compacted cobble surface containing a substantial amount of pre-Victorian pottery. We had back-filled this area but, after a bit of effort, we are now back down onto this surface - and it seems to spread across the whole area. We realise now, however, that the cut in the natural we discovered in April is 'V'-shaped and starts at a higher level. This means that the compacted cobbles are actually part of the back-fill of this ditch. It is also difficult to imagine this surface as a road or track as it is quite uneven (however this could be due to settling over time). On our next visit we will cut through this layer to hopefully expose the 'V'-shaped ditch underneath (as usual more details on our Forum).
Summer Trip
At last month's meeting we mentioned Lancaster Castle as a possibility for our summer trip. However it has been suggested that we visit Penrith as an alternative. It is a bit further to travel but the area presents a better range of sites to visit. First of all we have the substantial remains of Brougham Castle which was built on the site of a Roman fort. On the south side of Penrith are two henge monuments, King Arthur's Round Table and the more impressive Mayburgh henge. Also Penrith itself has its own fine castle built in the 14th century in red sandstone. The date chosen for the trip is Sunday 19th August. If you are interesting in going and are not already on the list, please contact me at our next meeting.
Next Meeting
Wednesday 4th July - at our new venue, the Standish Suit at the Brocket Arms (7.30pm as usual). We have a change of plan this month - we were to have had John Johnson talking about recent excavations on the site of the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III. However, unforeseen circumstances have meant that he has had to postpone this talk to later in the year. John, though, has very thoughtfully arranged for one of his colleagues from the Horus Society to come and give us a talk in his place. His name is Neil Stevenson and his talk is entitled 'Rock-cut tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the people who built them'.
By the way, regarding parking, we have had confirmation from the council that the 'Permit Holders Only' signs on the streets around the Brocket only apply up to 5.00pm. Therefore if you can't find a spot on the car park, then you should be able to find somewhere in the side streets not too far away.
Titanic Talk
For those interested, the Wirral Archive Services are arranging a fascinating talk entitled "Did the Titanic Sink the White Star?" It will be given by Michael Murphy at Birkenhead Central Library on Thursday 5th July. Tickets, which must be bought in advance, are £2.50 (more details can be obtained by contacting 0151 606 2665).
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