Clifton Antiquarian Club Peak District Young Archaeologists 7th - 10th April 2016
Clifton Antiquarian Club Young Archaeologists in the Peak District 7th - 10th April 2016 Our 5th annual “Big Trip” convened at Arbor Low – the Stonehenge of the North. The sky was heavy and overcast, but at least the snow from the previous evening had stopped. The henge, in our view is more impressive than that of Stonehenge, the stones, maybe not so, particularly given that they are all recumbent. Thomas Bateman describes this as “By far the most important, as well as the most uninjured, remain of the religious edifices of our barbarous forefathers that is to be found in the midland counties…” Bateman accompanied us throughout the weekend, not exactly in person, but in the form of his fine volume “Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire and the Sepulchral Usages of its Inhabitants” published in 1848. Thomas Bateman was an antiquarian and “barrow digger” of some distinction. We wanted to conduct a circularity experiment, to see how round the henge was. With a long tape, George and Hannah set off around the bank whilst the adults held the tape in the central cove. Whilst the adults made a bit of a pigs’ ear of the project, ending up with a load of tape tangled up around their feet, the Young Archaeologists did a fine job and we came to the conclusion that the henge is egg shaped.