ARCHAEOLOGY on YOUR DOORSTEP: Areas Near the Tearoom
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RECENT EVENTS Newsletter 34— October 2011 Hidden Oxburgh Eighteen members met in the tearooms of Oxburgh Hall on Friday 14 October. Teresa Squires, the House Manager, welcomed our party and, together with her assistants Ilana A Christmas Concert and Unni van Dort—and after a delicious tea—they treated us featuring to a special guided tour of those parts of the Hall to which CLOSE HARMONY visitors are not normally admitted. Eileen Powell was one of in aid of the party ... SWAFFHAM & LITCHAM Before the main part of the tour we divided into groups to visit the ARCHAEOLOGY ON YOUR DOORSTEP: areas near the tearoom. We started at the cellars, whose atmosphere HOME HOSPICE SUPPORT hinted at the proximity of the moat. We then visited the old Servants 7.30pm WHAT TO DO AND WHOM TO ASK! Hall, situated behind the tearoom servery. This, among other features, Tuesday 20 December 2011 contained an intriguing shute leading from the upper floors. From Houghton Barns, South Pickenham there we went to experience the current food preparation area, a (signed on the day from the B1077 challenging crush to be sure! These areas, not open to the public, Ashill-Swaffham road, Over the last few years the Breckland Society has encouraged members to leave their firesides and televisions to were a real eye-opener. east of South Pickenham) We then congregated outside on the bridge to see the workings become active amateur archaeologists. Members have field-walked in the depths of the winter, scanned the forest on of the door and the markings on the medieval bricks. We stayed a Tickets £10, to include mulled wine blustery spring days accompanied by metal-detectorists, excavated lodge sites and dug test-pits in the height of while in the courtyard learning about the building itself and having and mince pies. summer, and also spent hours washing flints and learning to distinguish worked Neolithic flints from natural stones. Available from pointed out to us various features which I’m sure most of us had Of course, all these organised events have been under the auspices Ceres Bookshop, London Rd, Swaffham missed on previous visits. and keen eyes of professionals who answered questions and guided The next stage of and Swaffham & Litcham Home Hospice the uninitiated. But what happens if we stumble across an artefact the tour was in the whilst walking the countryside or digging the garden? To whom WHAT’S ON house itself. The South should we turn to identify it? forthcoming Society events Corridor, the Salon Professional archaeologists based at Gressenhall in Norfolk and www.brecsoc.org.uk/news-and-events with the superb at Shire Hall in Bury St Edmunds will do all they can to help and, as Antwerp Cabinet (we members of the national voluntary Portable Antiquities Scheme, they were fortunate are anxious to encourage the public to report archaeological finds. Friday 18 November 7.30pm enough to be shown Write, phone or email for an appointment to visit: staff will be “Writing Bridgham’s History”: a talk by David O’Neale. the inside of this delighted and eager to see what has been found and to answer David will speak about Village Life, the highly-praised book magnificent piece of questions. he wrote with Tony Dobbin on the history of Bridgham, and furniture) and on into which stands as an exemplar of a local history project. the Drawing Room. Bridgham Village Hall. Members and Bridgham residents £3, The cabinets here hold non-members £5, to include refreshments. many treasures, including an ancient Friday 16 December 7 for 7.30pm flint tool donated by Society Christmas Dinner at The Crown, Mundford. Please join a local farmer, Henry us for a festive get-together! The three-course menu includes The Antwerp Cabinet in the Salon Lambert. soup, goat’s cheese or prawns, followed by turkey with all The library is a treat—the door leading to the dining room is the trimmings, steak and stilton, fillet of salmon or vegetable covered with dummy books and when closed gives the room a cosy and cashew stroganoff, with Christmas pudding, winter berry feeling—a wonderful place to spend many happy hours. We were vacherin or white chocolate cheesecake to finish. told about other hidden doors and shown some delightful children’s Cost £16 per head, to include a glass of wine. Places strictly shoes. As we entered the Dining Room we were greeted with a limited, so please book with Sue Whittley (01366 328190) no beautifully lit room and a well-set table. The wineglass cooler by later than Friday 9 December. each place setting was fascinating. We made our way up the stairs to the Boudoir, where we were shown some old wallpaper samples. February 2012 We are trying to arrange a private visit to St George’s Whisky The North Room led to the attic stairs—the attic rooms were so tidy Part of one of the Marian Hangings, embroideries attributed to Norfolk Historic Environment Service Office at Gressenhall the staff are to be congratulated. We went downstairs to the room Distillery at Roudham! Mary, Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick Any find, such as a flint found in Norfolk, will be examined Full details to follow in January newsletter. containing the Marian Hangings—a beautiful display. In the corridor initially to confirm that it is ‘worked’ flint and not natural stone we were shown the “secret wall” behind the wallpaper. We continued If you would like to contribute to the Breckland Society before being logged on a computer-generated map marking up the stairs to the King’s Room. The treasures in here are superb. Newsletter, please contact the Editor at archaeological sites across the county. Gressenhall will wish to borrow If you are concerned about driving in the dark, or We were shown some original bed hangings which were worked in the flint for a few weeks so that it can be photographed, examined exquisite embroidery—a rare treat indeed. The tour ended as we The Breckland Society simply need a lift to a Society event, please contact The Hay Barn, Hall Farm Barns in detail and recorded by a specialist. It will be returned to the finder made our way back to the ground floor via the Gatehouse spiral with a report on the expert’s findings. Sue Whittley, as it may be possible to arrange transport stairway. Oxborough, Norfolk PE33 9PS Two excellent leaflets on archaeology are available from with other members. This certainly was a memorable evening enhanced by the well- Tel 01366 727813 Gressenhall. Norfolk Heritage Explorer explains how you may access informed and expertly delivered talk by Teresa and her staff. Thank or email [email protected] you to our three hosts for the evening, and well done to everyone www.brecsoc.org.uk involved in putting on this delightful event. L I V I N G A N D B E L I E V I N G I N T H E B R E C K S 4 their website (www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk) to search the archaeological map for finds in a particular WILDLIFE NEWS parish or area. This user-friendly website also allows the public to discover heritage trails, local art inspired This autumn has been a curious season so far, with unusually warm and dry weather following a rather dismal cool and grey by archaeology, activities for children and details of second half to the summer. With temperatures locally hitting 29oC in early October, it felt more like a late June heatwave! archaeological clubs and societies in Norfolk. The second publication, Advice for Finders of Butterflies have had a rollercoaster ride this year, with the early species enjoying a Archaeological Objects, including Treasure, details fantastic spring, but those emerging in the miserable midsummer did not prosper. the do’s and don’ts of hunting for ancient remains The welcome sunshine and warmth brought a late flurry, with plenty of Peacocks and artefacts, and offers advice on the use of and Red Admirals around (rather few Small Tortoiseshells, however), as well as a metal-detectors. The leaflet stresses that, although Above: Logging the flint on the map few sightings of Hummingbird Hawkmoths, one of which was seen in Oxborough the law requires objects made of precious metal Right: Leaflets and entry form as late as October 17. There were also very large numbers of Bee Flies about, non- to be reported to a Coroner, there is no obligation stinging species of fly which mimic bees in order to deter would-be predators! to report other finds but, by reporting all finds, no matter how small, knowledge of the history Reptiles have also benefited from the sunny conditions this autumn, with and archaeology of Britain is increased. good numbers of Grass Snakes and Slow-worms reported from various sites across Gressenhall also stores a wealth of photographs and documents on archaeological sites the Brecks. The snakes are especially partial to feeding on frogs, so are often to be and artefacts found in Norfolk. Anyone wishing to research a particular period, ancient or found lurking near, or in, garden ponds – they are great swimmers. All reptiles and recent, should contact the staff, who will be happy to arrange a date for private research at the amphibians will be moving into hibernation shortly, rather later than in some years unit. thanks to the mild conditions. Old compost heaps and piles of leaf litter are favoured The Norfolk archaeological unit may be contacted at Norfolk Historic Environment Record, overwintering sites. Union House, Gressenhall, Dereham, Norfolk, NR20 4DR.