Scotland’s World Heritage Site Bucket List

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archaeology, Edinburgh, Heritage, medieval, Orkney, Places to Visit, post-medieval, prehistory, Properties, Roman, Roman Britain, Scotland, stone age

Heading to Scotland for your holidays this year? If so, and if you’re interested in archaeology and heritage, then you may be interested in the new Bucket List Challenge launched by Dig It 2017 which encourages people to visit Scotland’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which between them cover over 5,000 years of history from stone to steel. Check out their website for more information.

Heritage Sundays in Leicester

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archaeology, England, Leicester, Leicestershire, medieval, Places to Visit, post-medieval

On the last Sunday of every month the Magazine Gateway, Leicester Castle and Wygston’s House are open to the public, with visitors invited to explore the buildings on their own or book onto a guided tour with one of the Blue Badge guides.

Heritage Sundays provide a wonderful opportunity to discover some of Leicester’s historical treasures right in the heart of the city, including two buildings that are normally closed to the public.

Tours are not suitable for small children and suitable footwear must be worn. General admission to the sites is free. Pre-booking of tours  is essential, contact the Visit Leicester centre, Gallowtree Gate on 0116 299 4444 or online via www.goleicestershire.com

Each Tour lasts one hour at a cost of £2.50 per tour or you can book for all three buildings on the same day for the discounted price of £6.

Guided Tours:
The Magazine, Oxford Street, Leicester: 11am
Wygston House, 12 Applegate, Leicester LE1 5LD: 1pm
Leicester Castle, Castle Yard LE1 5WH: 2.30pm

Breedon-on-the-Hill Church, Leicestershire

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archaeology, Britain, England, Heritage, Leicestershire, medieval, Places to Visit, post-medieval, Properties

Howard Williams is an archaeologist based at the University of Chester. His blog ‘archaeodeath’ recently took a look at the church at Breedon-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire, it’s history and the memorials there.

• Breedon-on-the-Hill 1: Early Medieval Stones
• Breedon-on-the-Hill 2: Modern Memorials

 

London Evolution Animation

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archaeology, Britain, England, Great Fire of London, London, medieval, post-medieval, Roman, Saxon

The London Evolution Animation (LEA) shows the historical development of London from Roman times to today, using georeferenced road network data brought together for the first time. The animation also visualises (as enlarged yellow points) the position and number of statutorily protected buildings and structures built during each period. The LEA was developed by The Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (UCL), as a partnership project between English Heritage, The Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (University of Cambridge)/Dr Kiril Stanilov and Museum of London Archaeology (with the Mapping London and Locating London’s Past projects), and was initiated and directed by Polly Hudson (PhD).

Ralph Tailor’s Summer: A Scrivener, his City, and the Plague

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archaeology, Black Death, Britain, education, England, Plague, post-medieval, WEA

Those on the ‘Black Death’ course may be interested in a book by Keith Wrightson called ‘Ralph Tailor’s Summer: A Scrivener, his City, and the Plague‘ (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2011), which has recently been reviewed at the Contagions blog. This focuses on what happens to one man when the plague comes to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1635-6.

Digital Flythrough the Streets of 17th century London

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archaeology, Britain, Great Fire of London, Great Plague of London, London, Plague, post-medieval

A team of six students from De Montfort University taking part in the Crytek Off the Map project  have built a 3D representation of 17th century London before The Great Fire of 1666. Whilst it is conjectural, they have used street maps of the time and details from contemporary documents like Samuel Pepys’ diary to make it as accurate as possible. It’s a fascinating clip and also very useful for helping to visualise the London of the Great Plague in 1665.

Where can I visit in Nottinghamshire?

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archaeology, Heritage, medieval, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Places to Visit, post-medieval, Properties

There are plenty of places around the country that can enhance the learning experience by providing an up-close-and-personal look at the past. We often think first and foremost of the big national museums such as the British Museum, but there are some local gems too that we should also make the most of. In this post I’m going to list a few that I think are worthy of a visit in Nottinghamshire, perhaps as part of a family day out, but since this clearly cannot be an exhaustive list, if anyone has any other suggestions please leave them in the comments.

1. Galleries of Justice Museum, Nottingham: also known as the Shire Hall, this is an independent museum in the Lace Market area of Nottingham. The courtrooms date back to the 14th century and the gaol dates back to at least 1449. The prisons are still there. There was also a working police station from 1905 to 1985, and the courts closed in 1986. A joint ticket is available which includes the City of Caves beneath the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre.

2. Holme Pierrepont Hall, Nottingham: A grade I listed medieval hall that is open to the public on a limited basis.

3. Newark Castle and Gardens, Newark: Tours of the castle, ruined during the Civil War, are available. The Gilstrap Heritage Centre is a free-admission museum in the castle grounds about the history of the town of Newark.

4. Nottingham Castle, Nottingham: houses most of the City of Nottingham’s fine and decorative art collections, galleries on the history and archaeology of Nottingham and the surrounding areas, and the regimental museum of the Sherwood Foresters. Ticketing for the museum is now combined with admission to the Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard located nearby in five 17th-century cottages at the bottom of the castle rock.

5. The Workhouse, Southwell: A National Trust property, this is one of the most complete workhouses still in existence.

6. Wollaton Hall, Nottingham: This 16th century country house now contains the Nottingham Natural History Museum with the Nottingham Industrial Museum in the outbuildings.

7. Mr Straw’s House, Worksop: A National Trust property, this shows how a grocer’s family would have lived in the 1920s.

8. Rufford Abbey, Ollerton: The best-preserved remains of a Cistercian abbey west cloister range in England, dating mainly from around 1170. Incorporated into part of a 17th century and later mansion, set in Rufford Country Park.

9. Mattersey Priory, Mattersey: The remains, mainly the 13th century refectory and kitchen, of a small monastery for just six Gilbertine canons – the only wholly English monastic order.

Reading List: The Black Death

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archaeology, Black Death, Britain, education, Great Plague of London, medieval, Plague, plague of Justinian, post-medieval, WEA

Whilst it is not essential to do any background reading before the course begins, you may find it useful to do so. The reading list below contains books that you can read. You don’t have to read all of these. Indeed, we don’t specify any that you must read. Instead, these are readings you can use to gain a preliminary understanding of topics, as well as to study in more depth those parts of the course you are particularly interested in. You may also want to take a look at magazines such as British Archaeology, World Archaeology and Current Archaeology.

GENERAL

Crawford, D. 2009. Deadly Companions: How Microbes Shaped Our History

Scott, S and Duncan, C. 2001. Biology of Plagues: Evidence from Historical Populations

Slack, P. 2012. Plague: A Very Short Introduction

World Health Organisation Plague Manual: http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/plague/WHO_CDS_CSR_EDC_99_2_EN/en/

THE PLAGUE OF JUSTINIAN

Harbeck M, Seifert L, Hänsch S, Wagner DM, et al. (2013) Yersinia pestis DNA from Skeletal Remains from the 6th Century AD Reveals Insights into Justinianic Plague. PLoS Pathog 9(5): e1003349.

Rosen, W. 2008. Justinian’s Flea: Plague, Empire and the Birth of Europe

THE BLACK DEATH

Cantor, N. 2001. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It made

Cohn, S. 2002. The Black Death Transformed: Disease and Culture in Early Renaissance Europe.

Hatcher, J. 2009. The Black Death: An Intimate History. Phoenix.

Kelly, J. 2006. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death

Twigg, G. 1984. The Black Death: A Biological Reappraisal

Ziegler, P. 1998. The Black Death.

THE PEASANTS REVOLT

Jones, D. 2010. The Summer of Blood: The Peasants Revolt of 1381

DESERTED MEDIEVAL VILLAGES

Allison, K J, Beresford, M W, Hurst, J G. 1965. The Deserted Villages of Oxfordshire, Leicester University Press.

Miles, D and Rowley, T. 1976. Tusmore Deserted Village, Oxoniensia 4, 309-315.

Rowley, T & Wood, J. 2000. Deserted Villages. Shire

THE GREAT PLAGUE OF LONDON

Porter, S. 2012. The Great Plague of London

Moote, AL and Moote, DC. 2006. The Great Plague: The Story of London’s Most Deadly Year

Pepys, S. 2003. The Diaries of Samuel Pepys. Penguin Classics

Tomalin, C. 2012. Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self

Where can I visit in Leicestershire?

Tags

archaeology, Heritage, Iron Age, Leicester, Leicestershire, medieval, Places to Visit, post-medieval, prehistory, Properties, Roman

There are plenty of places around the country that can enhance the learning experience by providing an up-close-and-personal look at the past. We often think first and foremost of the big national museums such as the British Museum, but there are some local gems too that we should also make the most of. In this post I’m going to list a few that I think are worthy of a visit in Leicestershire, perhaps as part of a family day out, but since this clearly cannot be an exhaustive list, if anyone has any other suggestions please leave them in the comments.

1. Jewry Wall Museum, Leicester: small, but still very informative, the Jewry Wall museum is perhaps best known for its Roman exhibitions, not least the remains of the bath house outside the museum. However, it does also cover other periods from prehistory through to the medieval period. Other interesting displays include the Anglo-Saxon Glen Parva lady and stonework from Leicester Abbey.

2. The Guildhall, Leicester: Currently hosting the Richard III exhibition, the Guildhall is well worth a visit in its own right. It is a great example of a medieval timber-framed hall.

3. Bosworth Battlefield, Sutton Cheney: Also connected to Richard III is the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre. Alongside the exhibitions and reenactments, you can also walk around the battlefield itself. This can be a great, fun family day out. Just remember to take a reasonable pair of shoes with you if you’re planning to do the walk.

4. Donington le Heath Manor House: A charming little medieval manor house set in nice, quiet surroundings. This is not a huge stately home, by any means, but is still a very nice place to visit.

5. Grace Dieu Priory, Belton: Another very charming and atmospheric place to visit, the ruins of the medieval priory are not usually swamped by hordes of tourists and so it is possible to quietly take in the serenity of the spot as well as examine the walls and foundations that remain.

6. Staunton Harold Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch: A National Trust property, Staunton Harold Church is a rare example of a Commonwealth period building of the High Anglican style.

7. Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle: An English Heritage property, the ruined castle (badly damaged during the Civil War) was the seat of Lord Hastings during the 15th century. Sir Walter Scott set a scene in his novel Ivanhoe at the castle.

8. Kirby Muxloe Castle: Another English Heritage property that was also owned by Lord Hastings, despite the name, this is more of a fortified manor and so an interesting contrast to the castle at Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

9. Burrough Hill Fort: This country park contains the remains of a well-preserved Iron Age hill fort that has recently been subject to excavation by archaeologists from the University of Leicester.

10. Framework Knitters Museum, Wigston: This cottage is the only working frameshop in the county and is significant for 19th century industrial and social history. At one time such frameshops would have been commonplace in the area and many of our ancestors would have been involved in the industry.

In addition to the places listed here, there are local history and archaeology exhibitions at other museums in the county such as Melton Carnegie Museum in Melton Mowbray and Charnwood Museum in Loughborough. At the time of writing, Harborough Museum in Market Harborough is closed for redevelopment. However, when open, this museum contains the nationally significant Hallaton Hoard and is well worth a visit for that reason alone.