Following on from our investigations of the west side of Dark Lane, Blackrod in 2017 (Newsletter No.208), Alan Bury contacted us with the idea of investigating the hill on the other side of the lane. Alan had information that there used to be a building on the site, although nothing appears on any map. The strategic location of the hill (probably the highest point in Blackrod) would also suggest that it may well have been used as a signal station. On a windswept day in August, therefore, we carried out a resistivity survey in the centre of this cowpat strewn field. We located the scan as close to the crest of the hill as possible, whilst still straddling the only known feature shown on early maps i.e. the small wooded enclosure and a no longer existing field boundary (there must have been a reason why this area had been fenced off - could there be building foundations making it difficult to plough?). The result however (see below), proved not to be particularly enlightening. With the eye of faith, various patterns can be discerned but whether they refer to anything archaeological is hard to say but certainly neither the wooded enclosure nor the 1849 field boundary could be seen in the data.
Undaunted, Alan was keen to proceed with an excavation and last month a window of opportunity opened and we were able to returned to dig a 3m x 1m test pit. This was just to see if we could get an understanding of the patterns displayed in our survey. Location was crucial and choosing a spot required us to hopefully include features from both the survey data and the 1849 map. Before starting however, after advice about the danger of pathogens in cow dung, we spent some time clearing the area of the offending stuff. However, pretty soon after removing the topsoil our excitement grew when a flat stone surface began to appear at a depth of about 20cm. Our first thought was a wall but, as the surface expanded to fill the whole west side of the trench, it began to appear to be a flagged floor. As we cleaned down the surface, a clear edge emerged on the east side crossing the trench at an angle northwest to southeast. We continued to dig down the side of the edge to determine the full depth of the flag floor and what lay beneath it. However the edge appeared to be more like a wall and we began to suspect that actually what we had was natural rock. Our suspicions were seemingly confirmed when we lifted some of the stone flags revealing thin layers of degraded stone dust and yet more stonework - nothing unnatural, just typical of a weather flagstone outcrop. The sharp edge, however, remained a mystery - could this be a man-made rock-cut ditch? The fill suggested it was a possibility as its makeup was soft clay with flecks of charcoal but with no other finds, its date was beyond our means to determine. The best solution would be to expand the trench and chase the feature but our time was up having allowed time for backfilling. Alan had instigated these investigations on behalf of the newly formed Blackrod Historical Society. Further work here would therefore depend on their opinion on whether there would be any merit in continuing (a community dig next summer perhaps?). You can see more details of our investigations on our blog site here.
Next Meeting
Wednesday 4th September - at our new venue The Bellingham (7.30pm as usual). A change from our advertised programme this month as Mike Nevell has had to cancel due to unavoidable commitments. Instead John Johnson has stepped in at short notice to give a special showing of a film that was first aired at the beginning of the year at the Parbold Picture House. It's entitled Kom el-Hetan and gives an insight into the rediscovery of the funerary temple of Amenhotep III on the west bank at Luxor. Excavation and conservation of this huge site, which includes the Colossi of Memnon, has been going on since 2003, and Wigan's Horus Society have supported the project right from the start. Those who have seen it say it's brilliant and not to be missed so hope to see you there, BA.
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