Young historians have been uncovering the secrets of the past during hands-on archaeology sessions at a County Durham museum.

Shelagh Connor, the museum’s visitor services officer, said: “It’s a great opportunity for children to try their hand and something different and pick up some tips from the experts.

“Each child had a dedicated area to excavate and had time out from their investigations to enjoy the rest of the museum’s attractions, whether taking a trip down the mine or looking for red squirrels.”

Archaeology days are aimed at children between four and 11-years-old and more are planned for Sunday, 25 July, and Sunday, 1 August.

Normal admission charges apply, with a £3 charge per plot. However, spaces are limited and should be booked in advance by calling 01388 537 505.

For more information about Killhope, which is run by Durham County Council, visit www.killhope.org.uk or email info@killhope.org.uk

Uncovering the past: Nine-year-old Leah Peart from St John’s Chapel, Weardale, at an archaeology day.

If any proof were needed that the past has pulling power, talk to members of the Consett and District Heritage Initiative.

The idea was to celebrate times gone by and to generate interest in the work of the group.

Displays were set up by Friends of Lanchester Fort, Leadgate History Group, Durham Vintage Collectors, Consett Library and Beamish Museum among others.

Among the most popular themes at the event were those linked to lead mining and Consett and district’s heritage and history.

“We were delighted by the interest shown which augers well for future activities being organised by the Heritage Initiative. There’s clearly massive and growing interest in the past,” said organiser Alan Swinburne.

He and his members are now organising a second event that will take lace at Beamish Heritage weekend on July 31 and August 1.

A new chapter is about to be written about the heroes of Fromelles.

The Time Machine has followed this story from the beginning when the bodies of  World War 1 soldiers were discovered in a mass grave at Fromelles in northern France in 2009.

Now an exhibition, organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which tells the story of the 250 men is to open at the Imperial War Museum London on July 1.

‘Remembering Fromelles: A New Cemetery for a New Century’ charts the construction of the Commission’s new Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, the first to be built in 50 years.

It explains the poignant story of how 250 Australian and British soldiers came to be found, excavated and then reburied in a fitting and final resting place.

Using artefacts found at Fromelles, personal recollections of those who worked on the project and photographs from each stage of the recovery process, the exhibition charts the construction of the cemetery and sheds new light on a forgotten story of the First World War.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Fromelles Project Manager David Richardson said: “This has been an incredible project to work on over the past two years.  The building of a new Commission cemetery is something I never thought I would see, but as it nears completion, its tranquil beauty is, I believe, the finest honour we could have paid these men.”

Remembering Fromelles: A New Cemetery for a New Century also details the painstaking and complex work to identify the soldiers.  Many of the DNA testing techniques, which were used alongside historical and archaeological evidence, have set new standards in the field of forensic investigation.

The exhibition opens as the Fromelles project reaches its conclusion, with the dedication of the new Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery taking place on 19 July 2010.  Echoing the traditional design of cemeteries built after the Great War, this new cemetery will give the soldiers of Fromelles the dignity in death denied to them for nearly a century.

Helen Steed, a relative of one of those soldiers identified at Fromelles said:  ”I have been overwhelmed by the determination shown by so many people to recover my grandfather and his comrades, and have them properly buried in a new, purpose-built Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery.”

The exhibition, which is free of charge to visit, runs until January 2011.  It is accompanied by a book of the same title which serves as a commemorative publication to these men and the sacrifice which they made.

The height of British naval power is remembered in a new exhibition at Hartlepool Art Gallery.

‘Fighting Ships’ – which runs until Saturday 28 August – explores how Britain’s warships during the reign of King George III were depicted in art and how that led to the emergence of a distinctive national style of maritime painting.

The exhibition has been arranged to coincide with Hartlepool’s hosting of The Tall Ships Races 2010 and its Georgian celebrations.

The display features items from Hartlepool’s permanent art collection, including works by John Wilson Carmichael and Frank Henry Mason, plus important maritime paintings on loan from other collections.

A particular highlight is ‘The Royal Visit To The Fleet’ – painted by Dominic Serres in 1774 and depicting King George III inspecting the Royal Navy – which forms part of the Royal Collection and has been graciously lent by Her Majesty The Queen.

Also featured are two items from the Tate Gallery – Thomas Whitcombe’s depiction of the 1797 Battle of Camperdown between the Dutch and the British and ‘The Battle of Trafalgar 1805’ by Clarkson Stanfield, and items are also on loan from Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives.

Adding to the flavour of the exhibition are several period weapons from Hartlepool’s own collection, including a Flintlock Sea Service Pistol, which was much used in the Napoleonic Wars from 1793 to 1815, and a Flintlock Blunderbuss from Georgian Times.

There is also a highly-detailed scale model of Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, built and lent by retired Hartlepool shipworker George McKie.

Jean-Philippe Stienne, Collections Access Officer for Hartlepool Council’s Cultural Services section, said: “British naval power was at its peak during the reign of George III, including the exploits of Nelson during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and, of course, the victory at Trafalgar.

“Artistically, this period saw the emergence of a distinctly English style of marine painting which was quite different from the Dutch school which had dominated most of the 17th century.

“People wanted to share in the triumph of Britain’s glorious naval victories, and what better way than to commission a painting of one of the dramatic scenes.

“Many of the marine artists of the time had already spent years serving at sea in the Navy, so they were extremely well-placed to satisfy this national surge in patriotism.”

Admission to Hartlepool Art Gallery, in Church Square, is free and the gallery is open Tuesdays to Saturdays 10am-5pm. During the Tall Ships celebrations it will be open 10am-7pm from Friday 6 to Monday 9 August. For more information call 01429 869706.

* Hartlepool expects to welcome up to a million visitors and about 70 Tall Ships for the finale of The Tall Ships Races 2010 from Saturday 7 August to Tuesday 10 August.

For more information about The Tall Ships Races 2010, log onto www.hartlepooltallships2010.com <http://www.hartlepooltallships2010.com/>  , call 01429 523636 or e-mail tallships@hartlepool.gov.uk

English Heritage’s historical archive catalogue is now available online.

Workers at Osram glassworks, Newcastle Upon Tyne, the gateway of Bishops Place, Bishop Aukland, Blagraves House, 30-32 The Bank, Barnard Castle and the Chimney of Pease’s Mill in Darlington are among regional images featured in the archive.

Details of the wealth of historical material the archive holds – images, plans, drawings, reports and publications covering England’s archaeology, architecture, social and local history – is held on a database which can now be accessed and searched online at www.englishheritagearchives.org.uk. Until now, these searches had to be done in person at the NMR’s public search rooms in Swindon.

Using a range of search terms, users can discover whether English Heritage holds any items in its archive relevant to the topic they are interested in, mainly photos, but also including maps, plans or reports.

For example, using the search word “Stroud” in Gloucestershire will yield 73 catalogue items relating to the town. You can even search for a type of building, like schools or churches, or for an exact address.

Each catalogue item consists of a description and users can place orders online. A small percentage of the description is illustrated.

Registration is free, but customers will be charged for the documents they ordered and prices vary.

Alternatively, users can contact Enquiry and Research Service on 01793 414 600 or email nmrinfo@english-heritage.org.uk to place an order or ask for help if they cannot find what they are looking for.

Happy browsing.

North Tyneside Council’s free-guided heritage walks, revealing the fascinating history of North Tyneside’s town centres, are back by popular demand.

Spaces are limited for tours taking place on Saturday 12 June, educating people about the heritage of Whitley Bay, Wallsend and North Shields.

The tours will start at 10am in Wallsend, 12 noon in North Shields and 2pm in Whitley Bay.

Participants will be able to explore the captivating history of North Tyneside, dating back to Roman times.

The tours will give people an insight into the coal mining and shipbuilding era, as well as highlighting some of the borough’s landmark buildings.

They will also get to hear more about some of the fascinating local characters and find out about the famous Fish Quay.

Places for each of the walks are strictly limited and pre-booking is essential. The duration of each walk is approximately one hour.

For further information or to book a place, please contact TEL: (0191) 643 7409. Meeting points will be disclosed at the time of booking.

The heritage walks have been organised by North Tyneside Council as part of its commitment to support town centre businesses. Further events are planned throughout the year.

To be kept up to date on events in North Tyneside visit the council’s website or see local press for details. You can sign up for a regular newsletter by emailing: events@northtyneside.gov.uk <mailto:events@northtyneside.gov.uk> .

Skeletons discovered at Stirling Castle in Scotland are giving up their secrets – 650 years after being laid to rest.

Stirling Castle changed hands several times and scientific tests have been used to work out whether he might have been a Scot, an Englishman or even French.

The TV programme focused on two of 10 skeletons excavated from the site of a lost royal chapel at the castle.

Professor Black from Dundee University, is seeking to find out how, why and when the knight, and a woman buried nearby, met violent ends at the castle.

And Historic Scotland, which cares for the castle, has announced that it is commissioning further research to find out more about the 10 skeletons, which include two infants. This work will be carried out by Dr Jo Buckberry of the University of Bradford and archaeological scientists Dr Janet Montgomery (University of Bradford) and Professor Julia Lee-Thorp (University of Oxford).

Plans are also being made to include the facial reconstruction, and the other research results, in a permanent exhibition due to open at Stirling Castle next spring.

Richard Strachan, Historic Scotland Senior Archaeologist, said: “Professor Black and her team have done a great job in finding out more about two of the skeletons. The facial reconstruction of the knight gives a powerful impression of what a warrior who died in the 1300s may have looked like.

“He was a very strong and fit nobleman, with the physique of a professional rugby player, who would have been trained since boyhood to handle heavy swords and other weapons and who would have spent a great deal of time on horseback.

“We are building on this work through a project with Dr Buckberry (left), and her colleagues, to use the latest archaeological techniques to discover more about the lives and origins of all the people found buried in the chapel. This includes where they were brought up and the food they ate, where they were from, how they died and possibly why they were buried in the castle.”

One intriguing avenue of research will be to compare the results from the Stirling skeletons to those of soldiers found in mass graves who were killed at the Battle of Towton, the decisive clash of England’s Wars of the Roses, in 1461.

Dr Buckberry, a biological anthropologist, said: “Techniques have advanced a long way since the skeletons were discovered in 1997 and we can now tell much more about where people came from, their lifestyles and causes of death.

“This group is highly unusual, because of where and when the people were buried, suggesting that they might have been socially important and have died during extreme events such as sieges.

“As the castle changed hands a number of times these are people who could have come from Scotland, England or even France and one of my hopes is that we will be able to find out where at least some of them originated,” she said.

The skeletons, which date from the 13th to 15th centuries, were found during preparatory work for Historic Scotland’s £12 million refurbishment of the castle’s Renaissance royal palace, returning it to how it may have looked in the 1540s.

Gillian MacDonald, Stirling Castle Executive Manager, said: “The BBC’s research, and the further investigations we are carrying out, will be an important part of the new exhibitions that visitors will be able to enjoy next spring. They will be able to see the reconstruction of the knight, who seems to have survived many terrible wounds before finally being killed. The displays will tell the castle’s story from its days as a royal stronghold through to more recent times. These and the newly refurbished apartments in the royal palace will mean there is lots more for visitors to do and see.”

Consett’s past is to be brought back to life at the weekend.

From 10am to 3pm memorabilia, old photographs and reminiscences will be in excellent supply at the event taking place at Park Keeper Cottage at Blackhill.

Organisers are hoping it will kick-start a resurgence of interest in preserving the area’s special local history.

Heritage Initiative member Brian Harrison said: “This locality has a very special history and we want to build up an archive in the cottage premises at Blackhill that will be on show on a semi-permanent basis.

“We are currently unpacking the artifacts and material that has been kept in storage from the Shotley Bridge Heritage Centre and we want people to share their memories with us. We can make copies of old photographs if anyone wants to bring them along on the day. There’s a great deal of interest in the past spurred on by TV programmes such as ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ and we want to capitalise on that for future generations,” he said.

Above right – the RFC in Consett circa 1914

As Hartlepool prepares to welcome the Tall Ships in August a fascinating new exhibition looks back on the town’s maritime history.

It recalls Hartlepool’s shipbuilding history and explores the stories of some of the vessels which were built in the town – and others which came to grief on the rocks off its shores!

At one time, Hartlepool was the third busiest port in England and its shipyards provided work for thousands of people. One of the most prominent yards, William Gray & Co, won a host of awards for the number of ships produced in a year.

Among the many items featured are photographs of the yards and docks and 20 maritime paintings from the town’s collection, including a picture of the ‘Castle Eden’ – the first ship to be built in Hartlepool in modern times (1836).

There are also the blueprints for the ‘City of Dieppe’ in 1929 – the 1,000th ship to be built by Grays shipyard. In addition visitors will see shipbuilding and sailing equipment, maps and the swing bridge wheel used to open the entrance to the Swainson Dock in West Hartlepool.

Many ships were wrecked off the Hartlepool coast, falling foul of the Longscar Rocks and the Elephant Rock – with considerable loss of life. Frustrated by the lack of help available local people took action and organised one of the first lifeboats in the country, before the advent of the RNLI.

Photographs from the time show the aftermath of many of the wrecks. Most of what we know about these maritime disasters come from the work of Tees Archaeology. It follows up reports of finds from wrecks and is the official guardian of a protected wreck on Seaton Carew beach.

It is also a partner in ‘Hartlepool Built – Ships, Crews, Community ‘ – a project with the Nautical Archaeology Society North-East and Hartlepool Council’s Cultural Services and Libraries divisions. The project aims to create a record of the life of every ship built in Hartlepool over the past 170 years, including the stories and photographs of the people involved.

The exhibition features a small-scale re-creation of a beach area featuring the remains of some real local wrecks including a Second World War whaler.

Naomi Beeley, Learning and Access Officer for Hartlepool Council’s Cultural Services section, said: “Through this exhibition we’re aiming to give people a taster of the immense history of ships and shipbuilding in Hartlepool – West Hartlepool owed its very existence to the docks around which it grew. We hope that the display will bring back some memories for older people and help younger ones to learn more about this proud era in our town’s history.”

The Museum of Hartlepool is open every day from 10am to 5pm and admission is free. For more information please call 01429 860077.

* Hartlepool will welcome up to one hundred vessels and up to one million visitors when it hosts the celebrations at the conclusion of The Tall Ships Races 2010 between 7 and 10 August.

For more information about the Tall Ships, log onto www.hartlepooltallships2010.com <http://www.hartlepooltallships2010.com/> , call 01429 523636 or e-mail tallships@hartlepool.gov.uk

Top – The wreck of the schooner ‘William Crowe’ on Seaton beach in 1900.
Above left -  A scene from the Central Marine Engine Works.

The second world war continues to cast a long shadow as locals from Johvi in Estonia discovered.

It concerned a scene witnessed by a local boy in September 1944 who noticed tank tracks leading into a lake and then saw air bubbles coming to the surface over a period of time.

Many years later he passed on to the information to the history club and diving expeditions were organized to the bottom of the lake. At the depth of seven metres they discovered the tank resting under a three metre layer of peat and decided to pull it out.

From February to September 1944, heavy battles were fought in the narrow,50 km-wide, Narva front in the north-eastern part of Estonia . Over 100,000 men were killed and 300,000 men were wounded there.

During battles in the summer of 1944, the tank was captured from the Soviet army and used by the German army. (This is the reason that there are German markings painted on the tank’s exterior On 19th September, 1944, German troops began an organized retreat along the Narva front. It is suspected that the tank was then purposefully driven into the lake to conceal it when its captors left the area.

What emerged from the lake after over 60 years was a 27-ton WWII Russian built T34/76A tank with German markings – a trophy tank – captured by the German army in the course of the battle at Sinimaed (Blue Hills) about six weeks before it was sunk in the lake.

Some 116 shells were found on board and remarkably, the tank was in good condition, with NO RUST, and all systems (except the engine) in working condition.

Even so, after all that time, a little tinkering here and there, and the diesel engine fired up.

It is a very rare machine, especially considering that it fought both on the Russian and the German sides. and a full restoration has taken place to allow the machine to go on display at a war history museum.