Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

Hoylandswaine Nail Forge

Karen Nichols — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:38:07 +0000

Last year Wessex Archaeology was commissioned to prepare a set of display panels and an information book on the Hoylandswaine Nail Forge, north of Penistone, Sheffield. This was done as part of the restoration work undertaken on the building, managed and protected by the South Yorkshire Trades Historical Trust. The forge is a rare example of a type of building that was once a common sight throughout the nail making villages in this area.

As part of this work they were asked to create a cutaway image of the forge showing how it would have looked originally, and a series of illustrations to help explain how the forge worked.

To achieve the client’s aims, the illustrator built a 3D model based on a set of elevations and plans (prepared by Eldon Minns & Co. Ltd in 2010). The advantage of building a 3D model is that the building can then be viewed from any angle, inside or out. A variety of images in several styles can be easily output from the single model.

The model was layered so that separate elements could be switched off and the final cutaway image was created using a series of outputs combined in a photographic package. As an added extra the client was also sent a quick fly round animation of the model.

The information for the display panels and booklet was gathered and written by James Thomson Wessex Archaeology Northern Region the illustrator was Karen Nichols.

The Nail Forge is open to the public on specified days. For further information on opening times, or to organise a visit to this site, visit www.topforge.co.uk

Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

Archaeology goes on show at Wakefield Cathedral

Sarah Phillips — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:26:08 +0000

VISITORS are being invited into Wakefield Cathedral to view exciting archaeological finds including ancient tombs, medieval church walls and other signs that worship has taken place on the site for over a thousand years.

Archaeologists started excavation work inside the Grade 1 listed building as part of the multi-million pound redevelopment scheme, Project 2013.

They are removing burials from inside the nave to allow a new floor to be installed and their work has already revealed 13 burials most of which date from the 18^th or 19^th century but they have also found two medieval stone graves, two probable early walls and a shard of pottery, which is currently being dated.

Archaeological tours will run at 12.30 and 12.45pm on 25^th,28^{th ,}30^th May, 31^st May, and Friday 1^st June. Those booked in for 8^th June will be phoned individually and offered one of the alternative dates.

The cathedral building is over 800 years old and dates back to the 12th century - but it is thought that there was a church on the site before that and some of the archaeological finds suggest that too.

The Dean of Wakefield, the Very Revd Jonathan Greener, said ‘there are some exciting finds – especially the older stone graves - as it reminds us that worship has been on this site for a thousand years and more.’

Andy Norton, Project Manager for Wessex Archaeology, said ‘until recently it was common for people to be buried next to or even inside churches and cathedrals. When churches were extended they could be built on top of earlier graves. The new floor for the Cathedral nave will be at a lower level than the current one and would have damaged any graves there.’

The Chairman of Wessex Archaeology, Robert Key, a former MP and a Lay member of the Synod of the Church of England added ‘it is important that our places of worship, which are often wonderful historic buildings are renewed for modern times.

But we have to respect our heritage and also make sure that no damage is done to the remains of the people who were buried here hundreds of years ago. All the burials will be carefully recorded and removed before the remains are reinterred.’

TO BOOK A TOUR contact Karn Dyson at the Cathedral on 01924 373923 or email: karn.dyson@wakefield-cathedral.org.uk

Project 2013 is run by Wakefield Cathedral and is supported by Heritage Lottery Fund.

Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

Winter update from our Sheffield Office

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:34:35 +0000

After a busy summer and autumn it’s time for a seasonal breather – and another blog post from the Sheffield team. The past six months have seen our ever expanding field team busy with some large scale excavations and a plethora of smaller scale work, watching briefs and geophysics, over a wide area including Derbyshire, County Durham, Leicestershire and South Yorkshire.

Whilst monitoring pipeline works at Draycott, Derbyshire, our team discovered a group of cremation burials – these are probably prehistoric and we are excitedly awaiting the carbon-dating results to prove this. At Hope Quarry, Derbyshire and Adwick-le-Street, South Yorkshire, our teams have uncovered parts of Iron Age and Romano-British field systems – although the diggers at Adwick were disappointed not to find evidence of a nearby Anglo-Saxon cemetery! Work at Conisborough, South Yorkshire examined a double ditch and bank associated with a medieval deer park, once a hunting ground for the kings of England but long since disappeared from the local landscape.

The Sheffield team are always interested in our industrial heritage. We have recently investigated part of a 19th century iron works and corn mill in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, furnaces at a glass bottle works in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, and coal mining activity at Langsett, South Yorkshire. We’ve also completed reports on major iron works at Clay Cross, Derbyshire and Kirkstall Forge, Leeds.

Our largest sites have been large-scale wind farm projects in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Work between Easington and Saltend followed on from our geophysics earlier in the year and discovered prehistoric, Roman and medieval sites, with some interesting finds including part of a jet bracelet, a bone whistle and a decorative face from a Roman flagon (pictured).

Decorative face from a Roman flagon

Not content with our own backyard, the Sheffield team regularly works with our other offices, on projects as far flung as North Wales and West Sussex, and ranging from gravel quarries in the glorious sunshine to sites on mountainsides in the driving rain – all part of life in a busy archaeology office!

Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

Excavation at Mexborough Glass Works

Jon Milward — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:22:03 +0000

A team from Wessex Archaeology’s Sheffield Office has just finished excavating at the site of a late 19th century New Don glass bottle works in Mexborough, an important site in South Yorkshire’s glass making past.

This excavation has been undertaken by our clients Lidl, who will shortly commence development of a new community food store on the site.

One of the most interesting finds unearthed during the excavation was part of a Siemens-Martin tank furnace which would have been one of the earliest regenerative furnaces in Yorkshire. The waste heat and gases were reused to heat the tanks, allowing for continuous glass production and the use of less fuel.

The Wessex team on site recording remains of 19th century industrial buildings

Other finds included hundreds of marbles that were used to ‘stop’ early carbonated drinks bottles, called Codd bottles after their inventor Hiram Codd. The bottles themselves are very rare as many were recycled or smashed by children to retrieve the marbles!

An intact Codd bottle and a collection of stopper marbles from the Mexborough glassworks site

Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

Spring news from Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:43:16 +0000

Spring has come and gone up here in Sheffield and we are now firmly in summer time with some glorious weather behind us and hopefully ahead as well. Lots of members of staff have been stretching their legs with a few geophysical jobs based out of the Sheffield Office and some field walking as well. Based around Doncaster the data from these jobs is still being analysed but early indications of some field systems means we are hopeful of finding something interesting.

We’ve recently welcomed our new project manager Andy Norton to the team here in Sheffield with his enthusiasm and experience he will doubtless help us to continue growing.

Geophysicist at work near Doncaste

Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

New Year news from Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

Mike Hartwell — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:48:29 +0000

Well now that we are firmly into the New Year we have barely a moment to catch our breath. The pre-Christmas snows delayed many sites and we are now rushing to cover them all at once. With staff from Goole to Gloucester we are covering a large area ensuring sure that all of our projects are staffed so we can satisfy all our clients.

With the New Year comes a new starter, we have Grace Corbett working in the office now as a consultancy Project Officer helping to manage our sites and our busy archaeology consultancy department.

The team are very excited at the prospect of excavation starting in Leicestershire in the near future. An evaluation on a Deserted Medieval Village in the summer uncovered a series of features which corroborated with promising geophysical survey data and we are now going back for a closer look. With pottery dating from the 9^th-11^th centuries and bone objects including a comb and a pin we are hopeful of some interesting discoveries which we will update you on in due course.

Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

Wessex Archaeology Sheffield Writes...

Mike Hartwell — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:11:42 +0000

Wessex Archaeology has now been in Sheffield for a full year, so it seemed like an appropriate time to start up a blog to let the world know what we get up to in the frozen north. Sheffield is an industrial city and our team specialise in industrial excavations and recording industrial buildings. With that in mind our offices are perfect for us; we are located in the former C.T. Skelton and Co Shovel and Spade Works. Built in the mid 19th century it is now converted into modern offices.

Wessex Archaeology Sheffield

Many our team have worked together for a good few years in and around Sheffield. However, recently we have begun to expand, and have new faces to work with, most recently in the form of Hanna Steyne who is part of our Coastal and Marine Archaeology team.

Vulcan Works, Langley Mill, DerbyshireLast week Sheffield had over 30cm of snowfall which was something I’ve not seen since I’ve lived in Sheffield. Despite the city seemingly shutting down, Wessex Archaeology Sheffield stayed open! Some of us were walking over three miles through snow drifts and blizzards to make it in for work. It was quite something seeing pedestrians reclaim the roads and walk down the middle of the roads because the cars all stayed at home.

Over the last year we have been busy and our archaeologists have uncovered a large brick working site in Hull on Hawthorn Avenue, and completed a number of other interesting projects including excavations at the former Vulcan Works in Derbyshire and the Tinsley Wire Mills in the centre of Sheffield. We have also been working with the University of Sheffield undertaking excavations at Manor Lodge, a medieval hunting lodge on the outskirts of the city, helping to run their training excavations. Our standing buildings team have been busy recording sites around the north such as Nostell Priory, Rotherham Grain Warehouse and Huddersfield Railway Station to name a few.

Over the coming months we hope to use this blog to keep you updated with the work we are doing around the north and let you know of exciting discoveries as and when they happen.