Exmoor Archaeology Forum March 2 016 Thank you to our excellent speakers who treated us to a wonderful series of presentations at Lynton Town Hall on the theme of Archaeology and Communities at our 15th Forum in November. The value of local contribution was highlighted from archive conservation work with the Exmoor Society to the geophysical and measured surveys the Longstone Landscapes project has undertaken. The Historic E nvironment Review significance of our Bronze Age barrows was put in context and the settlement and landscape of Simonsbath explored. Our 16th Archaeology Forum will be held on 15 October 2016 at Brushford Village Hall and will be on the theme of historic buildings. Bookings can be made online at www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/forum-2016, by booking form or by contacting Carol Carder on 01398 322229. Coming up: Contact us: The Historic Environment Team are involved in a number of The Historic Environment Team is based in Exmoor National Park Authority’s offices: events occurring through 2016. For more information on the events and to find details of further events run by a Exmoor National Park Authority variety of organisations see Exmoor House Dulverton TA22 9HL. Main switchboard: 01398 323665. www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/enjoying/events April 14 Conservation Officer (Historic Environment) Talk on the archaeology and historic landscape around Shirley Blaylock Direct Line: 01398 322289 Dulverton. [email protected] April 16 Connecting Exmoor, exploring communications routes in Conservation Advisor (Historic Environment) the past, Lynmouth Pavilion. Catherine Dove Direct Line: 01398 322273 May 14-15 [email protected] Simonsbath Sawmill open for National Mills Weekend. Historic Environment Record enquiries can be made by June 4 emailing [email protected] Talk on the Longstone Landscape Project, Further information about the projects in this review can Lynmouth Pavilion be obtained from the Historic Environment team or from June 9 www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk Walk around the archaeology at Larkbarrow and Contributors to the Historic Environment Review: Kittuck Meads Conservation Manager June 18 Rob Wilson-North Exmoor perambulation around the boundary of the MIRES Historic Environment Officer Royal Forest Rose Ferraby July 26 Historic Buildings Officer Bogtastic, Simonsbath Nigel Pratt August 10 You can also download a PDF A stroll around historic Winsford version of this publication from In order to minimise the August 11 environmental impact of www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/ this publication, it has Walk around archaeology including Chains Barrow Whats-Special/history/publications. been printed locally by Toptown Printers Ltd. August 27 using vegetable based inks @archaeologyenpa on FSC ® certified paper. The Big Bank Holiday Adventure on North Hill. Family Day Aerial Photography of the foreshore of activities focussed on the WWII Radar Station and tank Frontcover: Part of Porlock Marsh Principal Archaeological As part of our long term collaboration of aerial survey training grounds on North Hill including a parade of Landscape, featuring the shingle ridge breach and sites with Historic England and our current Rapid Coastal military vehicles. from which Saxon timber fragments and Early Bronze Age Zone Assessment Survey, a series of outstanding October 15 aurochs skeletal remains were recovered. images were taken along the foreshore during low 16th Exmoor Archaeology Forum, Brushford © Historic England 2015 (29500_041) summer tides recording many of our coastal sites. 12 Historic Environment Review 2015 Welcome to our review of archaeological and other historic environment work undertaken in Simonsbath Exmoor National Park in 2015. This year has seen a number of changes in our own team but as Since Exmoor National Park acquired the former Simonsbath During 2015 the project team attended a number of public you will see from the contributions in the following pages much has been achieved especially School in 2013, work has focused on understanding more events including Bogtastic, an open afternoon for local by groups and other individuals working across the National Park. about the buildings themselves and their place in people, Simonsbath Festival and Heritage Open Day to Simonsbath, as well as trying to find a future use for them. gather suggestions from the public about the future use of Last year we reported on progress, but since then the buildings. We also held a school reunion in Historic Environment Staff changes Moorland Landscapes Partnership Scheme project Heart of our understanding of the building complex June for ex-pupils, which was attended by In May we said farewell to Dr Lee Bray who has taken up the Exmoor. At the same time therefore we also had to say has radically changed mainly due to the over 50 people who brought memories position of archaeologist for Dartmoor National Park. Lee goodbye to Faye Balmond who has been the Moorland fact that conservation work has and photographs of the old school. The was Exmoor Mires Project Historic Environment Officer from Heritage Officer for the project since its inception in 2010. uncovered internal and external wall year culminated in a Public Consultation surfaces, conclusively revealing the by the Steering Group to gauge support 2011. He was not new to Exmoor then, having completed We will miss our colleagues hugely who all gave so much to his doctoral thesis on the early iron industry of Exmoor in structural phases of the building. It is for its preferred options for the school furthering and recording Exmoor’s archaeology but intend 2008 as well as previously working for the National Park and now clear that the first building on site site. This advocates the use of the to retain strong links with all of them in the new directions locally in commercial archaeology. was built by John Knight, probably in the buildings as a village hall, interpretation their careers take. 1820s, to provide accommodation for staff. Simonsbath centre, public toilets and pop-up shop, and Sophie Thorogood was with us for 2 years on short term schoolchildren 1880s Good news is the appointment of Dr Rose Ferraby in We think these early cottages formed a backdrop was presented by Benjamin & Beauchamp contracts which finished in November. Sophie as Assistant to the pleasure grounds in Ashcombe. In form the architects. The Group also consulted on a proposed November to the post of Historic Environment Officer for Historic Environment Record Officer worked on the Exmoor building is single storey and in the ‘Scottish style’. Later on, a Masterplan for Simonsbath and produced a Conservation the next three year phase of the Exmoor Mires Partnership. Mires Project archive and our coastal survey and audit work series of extensions were added to it, including the school Statement through the services of Nicholas Pearson amongst other projects as well as recently providing We were also delighted to have the happy arrivals of a baby room built in 1857. Associates. In 2016 these options will be explored further. maternity cover. girl to Catherine Dove and baby boy to Faye Balmond both December 2015 saw the conclusion of the Exmoor in April 2015. Fields, Farms And Megaliths Scheduled Monuments Condition Survey Unravelling the Unique Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age landscapes of Exmoor. Every five years a survey to vulnerable to visitor activities from footpath erosion to stone Fields, farms and megaliths is a collaborative doctoral Bronze Age. A brief visit was made to a very wet Dulverton assess the condition of all rearrangement, although only six percent of sites were award PhD being undertaken by Douglas Mitcham, jointly in February to participate in the revision of the National the Scheduled found to be significantly affected with the honeypot sites supervised by the University of Leicester and Exmoor Park’s historic environment research framework, ensuring Monuments within the on the Dunkery ridge amongst them. About 6 % of sites National Park Authority. The project is funded by the AHRC that the ongoing results of the research help to inform the National Park is have suffered significant damage from livestock. (Arts and Humanities Research Council) and the ENPA. future research priorities for Exmoor's prehistory. undertaken to identify Vegetation encroachment constitutes by far the most prevalent The past year has seen a major transition for the project, emerging problems and Dissemination activities in 2015 have involved presenting a threat and many sites require regular vegetation management which began with completing the writing up of the allocate resources lecture at the University of Leicester School of Archaeology with bracken, gorse and scrub prone to regenerate once September 2014 fieldwork at Lanacombe. The results of the effectively. Our thanks go and Ancient History summer seminar series, as well as cleared especially where grazing cannot be established. The excavation were tantalising yet inconclusive, with the to the overwhelming support of landowners in allowing our presenting a paper at the 2nd annual Neolithic and Early sites affected include Iron Age hillforts and enclosures, medieval project team (enthusiastic volunteers from the Longstone survey, by archaeological contractors Archaedia , to take Bronze Age Student Symposium (NEBARSS) in November at settlements and earthwork castles. Bracken is a huge problem Landscapes Project and the University of Leicester) place on their land in 2015 and for now working to address the University