Digging in at historic site (Sheffield Manor Lodge)

RUINS dating from the 15th century are due to be exposed when work gets under way at the historic Manor Lodge site in Sheffield this week.

Soil which covers the kitchen quarters of the historic house and outbuildings will be removed by hand when a team of archaeologists, gardeners and volunteers start work on the site today.

Once the ancient walls have been revealed, protected and cleaned up they will be used as the base for an apothecary garden which will be planted with traditional medicinal herbs used in the 15th century.

Another garden will be created in what would previously have been an inner courtyard of the historic house.

It is to be called the Queen Mary's Garden - in recognition of the fact that Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned there for up to 14 years - and will feature lavender beds planted in the layout of a traditional medieval maze.

The work is being led by Green Estate Ltd as part of a three-year scheme to improve the historic 14-hectare site - a former deer park - by creating eight Romantic Ruins, of which the Apothecary Garden and Queen Mary's Garden will be two.

Ruins around the site will be developed into areas where visitors can relax and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells.

As well as fragrant plants, herbs and flowers, there will be seating, artwork, play areas, more trees and meadows will be developed.

Sue France, chief executive officer of Green Estate Ltd, said: "Our ambition for this project is to create one of the most beautiful new inner city landscapes in South Yorkshire.

"The title Romantic Ruins says it all really - over the next three years we want to add that all important layer of atmosphere and beauty to this historic site so it can be enjoyed by all.

"The scheme is really taking shape and people can drop by any time in the week to look around or to get involved with design or practical work."

Margaret Cobbold, executive director of The Veolia Environmental Trust, which is part-funding the project, said: "It's great to hear that this important project is progressing well.

"This scheme will protect and preserve an important part of Sheffield's heritage and create a place where people can relax and unwind."

 

From http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Digging-in-at-historic-site.6701136.jp

 

University of Sheffield 2011 Field Schools

Manor Lodge Project 2011
Between 13 June and 15 July 2011 The Department of Archaeology will be offering fieldwork training at the Scheduled Ancient Monument at Manor Lodge, Sheffield. The focus will be on the location of the medieval and sixteenth-century hunting lodge of Sheffield. The hunting lodge sat amidst medieval parkland, and was only subsumed within the urban sprawl from the 1930s. One of the most well-known events in the history of Sheffield Manor Lodge was the period in the late sixteenth century when Mary Queen of Scots spent part of her captivity there. She was in the custody of George Talbot, sixth Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife, known popularly as Bess of Hardwick. Our excavations seek to illuminate this period of Sheffield´s history, when the Manor Lodge was at the centre of events of national and international significance. Once the property passed into the hands of the Dukes of Norfolk the lodge fell into a ruinous state, and in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries a pottery kiln was constructed at the site, coal mining occurred and workers´ cottages were built amidst the ruins. All traces of this industrial activity were stripped away in the early twentieth century, and one of our aims is to throw light on this aspect of the site´s history.
 Thornton Abbey Field School - 19 June to 16 July 2011During the 2011 season we will be concentrating our efforts just to the north of the church and the graveyard, in an area that has seen no previous survey or excavation work. Documentary research suggests that this area contained the mill as well as the ‘great barn’ of the monastery, and these are known to have continued in use well into the post-medieval period. On the ground the water channels, or ‘leat’, for the mill are clearly visible as well as the medieval bridge that crossed it (see right).

Students attending the field school will play a central role in continuing the geophysical and topographical survey of this area, as well as taking part in the excavation of the possible barn and mill areas. Whilst all work is supervised by experienced staff from the University of Sheffield, volunteers get to take part in all the key activities.

The field school fee is £180 p/w. This includes supervision, course materials, all meals, accommodation and weekly pick up & drop off at the local train station (Thornton Abbey).

If you live within the County Council districts of North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire or West Lindsey you can attend the excavation for free so long as you provide your own food and make your own way to site.

Accommodation is in the form of camping close to the site, and we have a limited number of tents that may be borrowed if requested in advance.

From: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/archaeology/field-schools-index

Worksop Manor Lodge - Planning Permission Sought

It was listed in this weeks Worksop Guardian that the owner of Worksop Manor Lodge, Mr Cooksey, has sought planning permission from the council for turning the derelict Grade I listed building into a dwelling

Applications this year have been:

02/10/00356/L   24/09  Cover the roof with Cumbrian Green Slate – this was refused

02/10/00417       15/11 Construct 3.5 bay garage – Consultation Period

02/10/00414/L   15/11 Conversion to 3 bedroom residential dwelling – Consultation Period

02/10/00413       16/11 Same details as 02/10/00414/L – Consultation Period

 

http://www.bassetlaw.gov.uk/planning/Acolnetcgi.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPSESSION=%7B%5B%2A%211D1A020B050304731D3C3D31617C041E28360020373B2D3A033A2131681B1102001216030D02040A06016F691120283F3A3606243629243A06176F767578767B7F667777007C6D1D2A20212C2B20080A72676371757F767F786264%21%2A%5D%7D

...More news as we get it...