English Heritage produces a review of Historic Landscape Characterisation on the web

Earlier this year, Wolverhampton City Council carried out a rapid review for English Heritage of the current availability of Historic Landscape Characterisation material on the web. The report is now available on line at www.english-heritage.org.uk/characterisation, 

The report provides a state of the moment description of how many of the 40 HLCs that are complete have results available on line and in what form; it also includes a list of web links. The review also tapped into a rich layer of enthusiasm within local authorities and AONBs for making HLC results more widely available to a broader public. This enables the report to look ahead to ways in which the present level of access can be improved.

The Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB Historic Landscape Website is held up as an example of best practice in this document

Day School on Vernacular Architecture Saturday 29th October 2011

The Wiltshire Buildings Record has organised a day school entitled 'The Kitchen: The Heart of the Home From Medieval to Victorian - the development of kitchens and service rooms through the ages'

Market Lavington Community Hall, St Mary’s Rd, Market Lavington, Devizes, SN10 4DG (modern facilities and ample parking)

This will be held on Saturday 29th October 2011, 10.30-1630 (10.00 coffee) at

Speakers:

John Broad (University of Cambridge)

– Detached kitchens

Pam Slocombe (Author of “Wiltshire Farmhouses and Cottages”)

– Malting, brewing & dairying in Wiltshire houses

David Clark (President of the Vernacular Architecture Group,

Secretary Oxfordshire Buildings Record)

– Service rooms of Oxfordshire

Kathryn Ferry (Author of “The Victorian Home”)

– Below stairs - the Victorian Kitchen

Tickets are £12.50, WBR Members, Students and Senior Citizens £10.00

Available from Wiltshire Buildings Record (Day Course),

Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Cocklebury Road,

Chippenham, Wilts, SN15 3QN.

Telephone 01249 705508

e-mail: dorothy.treasure@wiltshire.gov.uk  web: http://www.wiltshirebuildingsrecord.org.uk/index.html

Dorset Manorial Register to be launched 29th September 2011 Dorset History Centre

The Dorset History Centre is launching the Dorset Manorial Documents Register on the 29th September 2011 at the Dorset History Centre.

This is the official register of manorial documents for England and Wales and enables researches to locale manorial documents acorss the county. The manorial record for Dorset has been revised and is available through the National Archives website.

The history centre has also produced a Manorial Documents Guide and an online Educational Resource Pack for schools.

Wiltshire Buildings Record guided tour of Salisbury 17th September 2011

Wiltshire Buildings Record is holding a guided tour of selected buildings in the area of the market place Salisbury. Our guide is Gerald Steer, WBR member and local architect who has been actively involved in the restoration a number of medieval buildings in Salisbury. This is an excellent opportunity to get behind the façade and understand how these buildings and the area in the vicinity of the market place, has evolved. Contact Dorothy Treasure at the Wiltshire Buildings Record for more information.

AONB Project mentioned in English Heritage Review

The Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB Historic Environment Action Plan project forms part of a review by English Heritage called 'IMPACT, the English Heritage Historic Environment Commissions Report for 2007-10. ' For the first time this report covers projects funded under the Historic Environment Enabling Programme (HEEP) and the Aggregate Levy Sustainability fund (ALSF).

The projects that  English Heritage enabled through grants from these programmes delivered understanding of the past, and encourage dpeople to value, care for, and enjoy their historic environment.  In financial years 2007-10 they distributed c£19 m on projects commissioned against national priorities in support of SHAPE English Heritage’s Strategic framework for Historic environment Activities and Programmes.  

Visit a 'living' Medieval Village at the Cranborne Chase Woodfair 8th/9th October

The Cranborne Chase Woodfair is celebration of the historic woodlands of the area and the associated crafts and industries that it represents. From timeless crafts to contemporary designs; from modern day forestry techniques to the demonstration of a range of practical rural skills, there is something for everyone. It is being held on the 8th and 9th October 2011 at the Cranborne Chase Woodfair.

In order to celebrate 30 years of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and also the culmination of our Historic Landscape project, Regia Anglorum will be re-enacting what life would have been like living and working on the Cranborne Chase. It will also be a demonstration of why the Cranborne Chase is famous worldwide for being a medieval hunting forest.

'We are not purely a combat society and have come a long way from the old hack and bash image associated with many re-enactment societies. There is always a certain glory to be found in recreating and reliving famous and the not-so-famous battles of times past - but they are not the sum total of history. They are specific points in time which were interspersed by long periods where the people living then, got on with their normal existence which is equally fascinating. In this way, we are not in fact just a 're-enactment' group, but a 'living history society'.

Come back with us to 1086 and see us demonstrate the changing fashions of the times, and see how people living then, got on with their normal lives.

Explore our medieval village where you can find out more about the life and times of Medieval Britain. Regia hopes to inject some reality into these once everyday activities. Whilst this can include getting cold, wet and reeking of wood smoke, just sitting around the campfire with your friends is an atmospheric experience in itself, which we hope brings the 11th century back to life for you.

A look back the Festival of Archaeology & the Cranborne Chase AONB

The AONBs first year taking part in the Festival of Archaeology was a resounding success. We kicked off with a day seminar on the history and archaeology of the AONB landscape on the 23^rd July. This was attended by 87 people from across the counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset.

James Stanford, AONB Chair welcomed everyone to the day, and I provided a brief overview of the area. We were treated to fascinating talks on the new perspectives and discoveries in the Wylye and Allen Valley, from Mike Allen and Julie Gardiner. INtroduied to new discoveries from the Damerham Archaeology Project (Helen Wickstead & Martyn Barber), and the Teffont Archaeology Project (David Roberts). Martin Papworth provided an overview of Durotrigian identity in the Iron Age. We also learnt about new aerial archaeological discoveries (Martyn Barber) and new discoveries from reanalysing the Wor Barrow (Mike Allen)

The AONB team felt the day went extremely well and this was backed up by emails we have received subsequently, including comments like the following:

“I want to congratulate you, and thank you for organising such a wonderfully inspiring and informative seminar on Saturday.  The speakers were brilliant and I certainly want to keep in touch with what they are all doing”.

The following Saturday 30^th, 26 people joined us at Martin Green’s Farm to visit his museum and explore the archaeology on his farm. In the afternoon we had a guided walk around Gussage and Wyke Down. The rain held of and we had glorious views across the chase. This event was so popular we were oversubscribed three times.