Day 10! Day 10 already. We can’t quite believe that we’re nearly at the end of week two.
Week two has seen visits from St Thomas More’s Catholic School Buxton, Hollinsclough Academy, Earl Sterndale, St Batholomew’s, and Blackshaw More Primary Schools.
St Thomas More’s ‘Skills for Life’ group did themselves proud again, having a go at everything with such enthusiasm, and helping us remove more soil from Trench 1.
On Wednesday, it proved difficult for the children from Hollinsclough Academy to dig due to the rain. There’s not much we can do in the trenches when it rains heavily, but they were not down-hearted. They managed to keep busy with lots of other jobs close to the studio. They certainly seemed to have a good time.
The heavy rain on Wednesday meant we had a lot to do to catch up on Thursday. We had three schools that day and they certainly worked hard! They helped finish de-turfing Trench 4, which looks very exciting (a bank and a ditch!), and they trowelled more soil away in Trench 1.
In Trench 1, we seem to have uncovered at least one wall and possibly two, or at least the line of one wall, for it seems the stones have been taken out at some time in the past. Abutting this wall is something we’ll just call ‘a rectangular feature’ for the moment. At approximately a right angle to the robbed out wall is perhaps the line of another wall. There are stones there but these may have been to the outside forming the surface of a type of yard – the stones seem quite worn and smooth.
In the meantime, we were lucky to have Simon, our historian, and his mum lending a hand up at Trench 2 at the cellar. They helped Adrian clean up what has been uncovered so far, ready to plan and photograph today. We have found stones in situ now, and what might be a mullion in amongst the rubble, but you’ll have to wait until we remove it to know for sure. It is hoped that this will then give us some dating evidence for when the house was built.
Richard and Angela have been busy pinging away with their theodolyte over the last few days, taking levels for finds and....
Richard taking levels for finds with Mr Holden and pupils from Earl Sterndale and James a volunteer with the Peak District National Park Authority
....today creating a contour survey for the bank and ditch before we start to dig it away over the next few days. They have also been photographing the cellar. Then, if the rain stays away, we can start to excavate more away.
Well, maybe we’ll have a break first…
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