Heritage Lancaster: Shaping the Future

An open visioning event is being held on June 22nd at The Storey Institute where we are bringing together leading specialists in Roman archaeology and medieval castles to help us envision the future of Lancaster as one of the UK’s key heritage cities.

The event is free and open to anyone with a perspective on what the future of our city should be.

Event Themes

  • Advancing archaeological interpretation of what we have found and how we progress future research and excavation.
  • Masterplanning, access, vision for the site.
  • Digital data, the future engaging people and communicating.
  • Tourism, Castle, City, visitor offer.

Archaeology Panel

Chair: Gill Hey, CEO Oxford Archaeology

Simon Esmonde Cleary, Professor of Roman Archaeology, University of Birmingham

John Goodall, Architectural Editor of Country Life Magazine

David Breeze, Authority on Roman Military Archaeology

Jason Wood, Beyond the Castle Heritage Consultant

John Zant, Project Manager Oxford Archaeology North

David Shotter, Emeritus Professor Lancaster University

Andrew Pearson, Authority on late Roman Military Archaeology

Schedule

10:00

Welcome and Introductions
Plenary Panel
Workshop session

13:00
Lunch by NICE

14:00
Workshop session and networking

16:00
End of Event

Register to attend
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/heritage-lancaster-a-future-for-our-history-tickets-12315948333 or call 01524 593770

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Celebrating Local Heritage Data

BTC_2930_Weekend_Flyer v2.1

This weekend Beyond the Castle is publishing the project’s archaeological explorations and geophysical survey results with a public event at Lancaster Castle, featuring an exhibition of the projects findings so far with workshops to explore the findings. A 24h hackathon will provide challenges for coders, creatives and the next generation of heritage champions.
The archaeological survey and studies were carried out by Oxford Archaeology on Vicarage Fields, Quay Meadow, Priory Churchyard and the Castle precinct with support from the Heritage Lottery.

Register for a place on our Eventbrite http://beyondthecastle.eventbrite.com

HackLancaster Registration

Shrimping.it Workshop Registration

Public Exhibition Registration

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HackLancaster

The results of the archaeological exploration on Lancaster’s Castle Hill will feature in a special exhibition held in the former A Wing at Lancaster Castle, from 10am on Saturday 29 November to 5pm on Sunday 30 November.

Alongside the exhibition we will be hosting HackLancaster for the first time.  A 24hour hackathon supported by The Creative Exchange at Lancaster University.  The hackathon will see coders, creatives and the next generation of heritage champions work with the data from the recent survey alongside other data sources including the Urban Archaeological Database.  The hackathon will run from 10am on Saturday to 1pm on Sunday.  The exhibition will also give visitors a chance to explore and feed into the work taking place during the hackathon.

The recent geophysical survey was carried out by Oxford Archaeology on Vicarage Fields and Quay Meadow, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The results of the survey have now been provided to the Beyond the Castle team and will help with developing plans for future exploration of the site. Take a look at our dedicated site: www.hacklancaster.orghack_lanc_logo

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Survey Results Update

It has been a long wait but we have a finalised date for the archaeological survey report (data representation, analysis and recommendations) from Oxford Archaeology – by the end of this week!

Designing the project in such a way that the field work/ development work runs in parallel with the community engagement is risky, difficult and messy, but ultimately the more rewarding approach. We did not want to ‘tag on’ engagement once all the field work and research has been completed, but build it into the process.

We have benefitted greatly and have developed our thinking by meeting and talking to people at events, on site or through social media. Giving people the opportunity to get an insight and help shape the process is what we’d like to call real community archaeology. Warts and all.

The next meeting of the Lancaster and District Heritage Group will be at The Three Mariners on Wednesday 12th November, starting at 7.00pm

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Coastal Communities

Help us to secure £300,000 Coastal Communities Funding for St George’ Quay! What would you like to see – better landscaping & planting, surface improvements, better signage, more interpretation of the heritage? How can we make more of the river frontage? How can we better connect the Quay with Lancaster Castle and Priory and the city centre?

We have been successful with an Expression of Interest to the last round of Coastal Communities (national) funding. We put forward a broad proposal to improve the public realm and better connect St George’s Quay with other key sites and therefore increase footfall and vibrancy.

We are in the process of creating an online platform onbeyondthecastle.org/coastalcommunities for you to contribute your thoughts and ideas.

We are also encouraging people to take a walk and take notes, photographs etc. identifying both issues and opportunities (we will shortly upload maps and instructions; hard copies and drop-off boxes will be available at Quayside venues). Please watch the space!

If you want to join us for a walkover meet us outside the Wagon and Horses at 1 am on Tuesday 23rd September. After the walk we will re-convene at the Wagon and Horses to share feedback (07887 831154).

Image Credit: Terry Parsons
Image Credit: Terry Parsons

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Reading Notebook 40

Sir Ian Richmond Archive – Notebook 40

Sir Ian Archibald Richmond, CBE, FBA, FSA (10 May 1902 – 5 October 1965) was a British archaeologist and academic. He was Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire at the University of Oxford, Director of the British School at Rome from 1930 to 1932, President of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies from 1958 to 1961, and Director of the Society of Antiquaries of London from 1959 to 1964.

Sir Ian Richmond was Lancashire born and visited Lancaster a number of times. He excavated and made notes on the Beyond the Castle site. Sadly Sir Ian Richmond suffered heart problems and was unable to finish his write up for Lancaster at the time of his death in 1965.

Whilst at the Sackler Library in Oxford, Jason and I, through the wonders of modern technology, we were able to scan and photograph parts of the notebooks relating to Lancaster.

All of the notebooks are handwritten by Sir Ian Richmond, there are some typed letters of correspondence, maps and drawings. We have a lot of information to interpret and we hope that you would like to help! We will be using an online service, issuu, to get this information to you, it should be straightforward to use, but let us know if not.

Incomplete Transcript, all assistance appreciated and fully credited.  Please please additions in the comments fields and we will collate together into one document:

Lancaster
Testimonia

M. Gregson, Portfolio of fragments relative to History and Antiquities topography and genealogy of the county Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster.  3rd Edin. 1896.

269-70 “The old stone figures were found in the spring of 1794, in digging the canal in the township of Ashton.  The place is retired: about two or three hundred yds to the eastward if the highway leading from Lancaster to ******* and nearly one mile NE from Ashton Hall. It appeared that the spot had been sellcted for depositing **** figures; the field was in pasture at the time the canal was out, a swale* hillock rose in the lower parts of it, more *** and green than other parts of the land.  Upon digging this place a considerable depth of soil was removed; the spade at length began to touch upon stones, as the workmen then used their picks; by this operation several parts of the figures were damages.  The whole of **** were in the ****** of about six yards square and laid carefully in the hole about three feet deep) which had been made

 

 

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