Newsletter, September 2009

Dear All,
 
Welcome to our autumn season. Now that the summer (?) hols are over, we're back in action on site: join us on Tuesdays 10am as usual. We begin with the continuing exploration of the flagged floor high on the hill - a pic of our first suspicions of its existence is on the right, together with last week's discovery of the sheer depth and weight of these stones - this week we hope to search for evidence of what this mysterious structure might have been for ...
If you've not been before and would like to join us on any Tuesday(s), do contact me at gill@iron-age.org for details on where to meet and what to bring.
 
Apart from our regular digs, we shall be strutting our stuff in the Heritage Tent at the Nidderdale Show in Pateley Bridge on Monday 21st September. Come and meet us, have a chat and see our displays.
 
Saturday 24th October is the Darley Heritage Day at Christ Church Community Centre and we shall have a display there too. Come along and see where our site and our findings fit into the local historical picture. Everyone is welcome. We shall let you know the exact times closer to the date.
 
Looking ahead, we have an exciting two-day Big Dig scheduled for Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th October. Many hands will be needed for this special excavation of a very special feature, so please come along for one or both of the days and bring your friends along to join in. Kevin Cale will be our professional guide and tutor so don't be shy even if you've little or no experience. We shall be digging and recording a triple furnace, that is, three furnaces which sit side by side, set into the gentle hillside, together with a complex of working platforms clearly associated with them. This is a unique feature for our Project and one which could yield much information on medieval iron smelting and possibly smithing. I'm excited just thinking about digging it!
 
This feature and the rest of our site has so much to tell us - we really are there, at the forefront of historic metallurgy research ... and we are delighted to report that later in the autumn we shall be sharing our findings to date at the Archaeometallurgy Conference at Bradford University which is scheduled for 10th-12th November.
 
And finally...
if you want to explore archaeology further afield, we can help you: my book, Visiting the Past is now out. It's published by The History Press and, priced at just £12.99. Glossy and fully-illustrated with over 100 pictures, it's a layperson's jargon-free, user-friendly guide to spotting and understanding the archaeology that is all around us in Britain. It travels from mankind's first arrival here, through the ages right up to the World Wars, explaining what what happening in each era, what life was like then, the best sites to visit and what to look for in the fields etc around you. It's available through the usual channels of bookshops (Waterstones in Harrogate amongst others), Amazon.co.uk etc, but I would be delighted to sell you a signed copy directly (just reply to this email). Or you can pick one up from me in the Heritage Tent at Pateley Bridge's Nidderdale Show on Monday 21st September. See you there!
 
Don't forget that you can always check our our website for more information and the latest news on events, photos, technical info, site updates (ours and other iron sites), and much more.
 
All the very best,
 
Gill
 
Gillian Hovell
Secretary, Iron-Age (Nidderdale) Project
gill@iron-age.org
 
As ever, may we remind you all that the site is on an exposed hillside and waterproofs/suncream and stout footwear are definitely required.
May we stress that the site is on private property with no public right of way - access must be accompanied by a group leader at all times.