Stanton Moor Conservation Plan 2007 Stella McGuire and Ken Smith with additional contributions from Ann Whitlock ©Copyright 2007. Peak District National Park Authority. Stella McGuire. Stanton Moor Conservation Plan Acknowledgements Many thanks to all the people who have contributed to this Conservation Plan. They include the Plan consultees (see Appendix B) and all those who kindly provided comments on Plan drafts: Tim Allen; Adrian Baker; David Bent; James Cuthbert; Adrian Davie-Thornhill; Jill Gregory; Neil Hanshaw; Jane Harker; Jon Humble; Laura Hurford; Alan Martin; Michael Metcalfe; Martin Millmore; Paul Mortimer; Julie, Jules, Wookie, Ruth and Malcolm from the Nine Ladies Protest Camp; Frank Oulsnam; Rebecca Penny; Andrew Prince; Mr. and Mrs. Renwick; Jon Stewart; Rhodri Thomas; Andy Tickle; Tim Walker. Many other Peak District National Park Authority staff in addition to those included in the list above gave support, information and advice. They include: Liz Ballard, John Barnatt, Gavin Bell, Bill Bevan, Daniel Boys, Lynn Burrow, Peter Bush, Philippa Davey, Andy Farmer, Angela Johnson, Rachael Kerr, Catherine Mate, Christina Porter, Mike Rhodes, John Sewell, Peter Smith, Sarah Whiteley. Thanks to the following for information and advice on Museum holdings, databases and other Museum initiatives: Matt Edwards, Martha Jasko, Sue Palmer, Jonathan Wallis, Ros Westwood, Gill Woolrich. Advice and guidance on Stanton Moor ceramics and their context was kindly provided by Pauline Beswick. Many people provided information on education and learning initiatives and possibilities. They include: Wyn Austin, Melanie Barker, Daryl Baxter, Rachel Bellamy, Aimee Blease-Bourne, Matt Cooke, Lynn Crowe, Ann Hall, Ian Heath, Don Henson, Mrs. Howarth, Peter Jones, Colin Merrony, Catherine Nicklin, Frank Robinson, Phil Sidebottom. The following provided information on a range of other topics included in the Plan: Jenny Blain, Barry Joyce, Pam McInally, Sarah Sims-Williams, Jan Stetka, Ian Thomas, Andrew Thompson, and members of Stanton-in-Peak Local History Society. Thanks to Aimee Blease-Bourne and Rob Isherwood for permission to use information from their M.A. dissertations, and to Jamie Chapman for the use of data from his GCSE project on Stanton Moor. Thanks to the following for their company, information and insight during trips to the Moor: Aimee Blease-Bourne, John Hughes, Willy Kitchen, Melissa Peet, Helen Ullathorne, and ‘Mr. Bateman’ – a descendant of the real thing, encountered one day by the Reform Tower. Individual credits and copyright information are given in the illustration captions. Thanks to the following people for supplying plans, photographs and other images and/or giving permission to use them: Stewart Ainsworth, Trevor Ford, Jill Gibbon, Neil Hanshaw, Margaret O’Sullivan, Christina Porter, Jim Rieuwerts, Rhodri Thomas, Nick Tomlinson, Peter Ward, Mary Wilde. The Plan was prepared for publication by Sarah Gillott, Peak District National Park Authority, Design Te a m . Particular thanks to Philippa Davey at PDNPA for her support throughout the project, and to her and Angela Johnson at PDNPA for their work on the preparation of maps and plans. Finally, many thanks to Jon Humble and English Heritage for commissioning and providing resources for this Conservation Plan, and for their support throughout the lengthy process of production. Page 3 Stanton Moor Conservation Plan Summer 2007 Contents Summary of Key Points 10 1 Introduction 15 2 Understanding the Moor 17 2.1 Chronology 17 2.2 Location and physical landscape 22 2.2.1 Introduction 2.2.2 Geology and soils 2.2.3 Topography 2.3 Land ownership and management 23 2.4 Cultural heritage 24 2.4.1 Mesolithic and Neolithic 2.4.2 Bronze Age 2.4.3 Iron Age 2.4.4 Romano-British 2.4.5 Early Medieval and Medieval 2.4.6 Post-Medieval to Early Modern 2.4.7 Industry 2.4.8 Modern artefacts 2.4.9 Structures 2.5 Excavation history, collections and archives 35 2.6 Natural heritage 42 2.7 Industry and agriculture 45 2.7.1 Quarrying within the scheduled area 2.7.2 Agriculture and shooting 2.8 Aesthetic appeal 47 2.9 Modern perceptions of the moor’s spiritual qualities 48 2.10 Interpretation and education 50 Page 4 Stanton Moor Conservation Plan 2.11 Access, visitor use and visitor impact 56 2.11.1 Access 2.11.2 Disability Access Audit for the Guardianship monument 2.11.3 Visitor use rates and patterns 2.11.4 Visitor impact 2.11.4.1 Footpaths 2.11.4.2 Gathering points 2.11.4.3 Nine Ladies stone circle and King Stone 2.11.4.4 Other monuments 2.11.4.5 Camp fi res 2.11.4.6 Fire risk 2.11.4.7 Parking and unauthorised vehicle access 2.12 Designations, responsibilities and strategies 62 2.12.1 Statutory designations 2.12.1.1 National Park 2.12.1.2 Scheduled Monument 2.12.1.3 Guardianship 2.12.1.4 Listed building 2.12.1.5 Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Act 1985 2.12.2 Non-statutory designations 2.12.2.1 Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Site 2.12.2.2 Biodiversity Action Plan / Priority Habitat 2.12.2.3 Natural Zone 2.12.3 Physical access and accessibility: designations, responsibilities and strategies 2.12.3.1 Strategic overview 2.12.3.2 Public Rights of Way (PROW) 2.12.3.3 Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) 2.12.3.4 Legislation relevant to other forms of access 2.12.4 Strategies for information provision and interpretation 2.12.5 Management: designations, responsibilities and strategies 2.12.5.1 Farm Conservation Agreement (1993 – 2004) 2.12.5.2 Local Management Agreement 2.12.5.3 Multi-agency liaison group 2.12.6 National Trust landholding on Stanton Moor Edge 2.12.7 Peak District National Park Authority strategy and principles relating to quarrying 2.12.8 Government guidance and National Park planning policies on archaeology, the historic environment, biodiversity and geological conservation Page 5 Stanton Moor Conservation Plan Summer 2007 3 The Moor in a wider frame: understanding the context of 71 Stanton Moor 3.1 Introduction 71 3.2 The character and extent of the Stanton Moor context area 71 3.2.1 Establishing the context area 3.2.2 Geology 3.2.3 Land ownership and management 3.2.4 Current land use and Historic Landscape Character 3.2.5 Recreational use For issues related to access and parking on the periphery of the moor, see 2.11. 3.3 Quarrying on the moorland fringe 74 3.3.1 Introduction 3.3.2 Active and dormant quarries 3.3.2.1 New Pilhough and associated haul road 3.3.2.2 Dale View 3.3.2.3 Stanton Moor 3.3.2.4 Lees Cross and Endcliffe 3.3.2.5 Birchover / Stanton Park 3.3.3 Disused quarry workings 3.3.3.1 Dungeon / Barton Hill 3.3.3.2 New Park 3.3.3.3 Boden Stone (or ‘TV mast’) quarry 3.3.3.4 Disused quarries on Stanton Moor Edge 3.3.3.5 Disused quarries in Sheepwalk Wood 3.3.4 Summary 3.3.4.1 Impact on the scheduled monument of quarrying and proposed quarrying around the fringes of the moor 3.3.4.2 Archaeological, ecological and landscape value of the disused and dormant quarry workings fringing the moor 3.4 Cultural heritage: the wider context 83 3.4.1 Mesolithic 3.4.2 Neolithic 3.4.3 Bronze Age 3.4.4 Iron Age 3.4.5 Romano-British 3.4.6 Early Medieval and Medieval 3.4.7 Post-Medieval to Early Modern Page 6 Stanton Moor Conservation Plan 3.4.8 Industrial context 3.4.8.1 Introduction 3.4.8.2 Lead smelting 3.4.8.3 Lead mining 3.4.8.4 Quarrying 3.4.8.5 Military timber supply 3.4.8.6 Overall impact of industry 3.5 Natural heritage: the wider ecological context 104 3.5.1 Heather moorland 3.5.2 Woodland 3.5.3 Stanton Moor Edge and Hill Wood: nature conservation evaluation 3.5.4 Quarries 3.6 Aesthetic landscape context: the moor in its setting 107 3.7 Modern spiritual context 108 3.8 Interpretation and education: the wider context 111 4 Summary of signifi cance 115 4.1 Introduction 115 4.2 Stanton Moor 115 4.2.1 Overview 4.2.2 Cultural heritage: the prehistoric resource 4.2.3 Cultural heritage: the medieval to modern resource 4.2.4 Natural heritage: ecology and geology 4.2.5 Recreation 4.2.6 Access 4.2.7 Aesthetic signifi cance 4.2.8 Landscape 4.2.9 Spiritual signifi cance 4.2.10 Interpretation and education 4.2.11 Agriculture and shooting 4.2.12 Quarrying 4.2.13 Group signifi cance 4.3 The context area: signifi cance of Stanton Moor’s setting 123 4.3.1 Overview Page 7 Stanton Moor Conservation Plan Summer 2007 4.3.2 Cultural heritage in the context area 4.3.2.1 Prehistoric 4.3.2.2 Medieval to early modern 4.3.2.3 Industrial 4.3.3 Agriculture 4.3.4 Natural heritage in the context area 4.3.5 Recreation and access 4.3.6 Aesthetic and landscape signifi cance 4.3.7 Spiritual signifi cance 4.3.8 Education and interpretation 5 Factors affecting the signifi cance of the Moor 129 5.1 Introduction 129 5.2 Cultural heritage: impacts on the prehistoric resource 129 5.2.1 Effective conservation management is essential 5.2.2 Erosion and other damage caused by visitors and monument users 5.2.3 Damage by animals 5.2.4 Damage by vegetation 5.2.5 Current and potential impact of quarrying 5.2.6 Unrealised research potential 5.2.7 Potential for development of the Stanton Moor archive 5.2.8 Access to information on the prehistoric resource 5.2.9 Factors affecting group signifi cance 5.3 Cultural heritage: medieval to early modern 140 5.3.1 Impact of visitor use and weather damage 5.3.2 Impact of quarrying 5.3.3 Impact of vegetation and animals 5.3.4 Potential impact of development, including haul roads 5.3.5 Unrealised research potential 5.3.6 Access to information on the medieval to early modern resource 5.4 Natural heritage: factors affecting ecology 143 5.4.1 Effective conservation