A red dragon in a ditch

Mike Taylor proudly wears a faded T shirt with the red dragon of Wales whilst posing in the bottom of the ditch of the 1979 rampart cut. Photo by Anna Behan.

A picture of concentration

Noakesy very clearly engrossed in drawing his plan during the 1979 season, from Anna Behan's collection. This must, I think be the southwest corner of cutting AXVII, since the rampart and Barrow Wake are in view.

Leaving the past behind ...

Evolution in progress: when Dr Ferris saw this 1979 Anna Behan photo of C-H-M gnawing on some limestone (for the camera, I assure you), he thought that it was a depiction of a 19th century feral child, possibly from a Paris gutter. In fact, I was digging out the ditch on Cutting AXVII: I think I knew, even at the time, that you weren't supposed to eat the spoil.

Later today C-H-M (aged 49 3/4) starts a new life as a student for the next 9 months, at Leith's School of Cookery and Wine. This is very exciting, and is unlikely to involve a diet of oolites. At least I hope it won't. I hope the suppliers of shellfish produce something a little fresher...

But if the postings on the blog become a little less regular than in recent months, I hope readers will forgive me: I will do my very best to keep the blog up-to-date but there may be times when the stoves will have to take first place in my affections or when I will be cooking or waiting at various events and establishments. But for those who of you who come and stay at the Albergo Parker the quality of the nosebag should improve ...

Fine drystone wall

I can never get over quite how well the Iron Age ramparts were constructed. The top wall and an intersecting gangbreak between the walls show up nicely in this 1979 picture of Cutting AXVII taken by Anna Behan.

What on earth did they find?

Dr Cleal reels away, in despair, clutching her brow. Was it something Mike Taylor said? Was it something Peggy Poole found? Doubtless the answer is lost in the mists, but the moment was beautifully captured by Corky Gregory on cutting AXVII in 1982.

The Management thinks it through ...

How far shall we go down next? A huddle on cutting AXVII in 1982 as Big Les, Steve Vaughan, Mike Taylor, Phil Dixon and Terry Courtney chew the fat in this picture by Jane Dineen. They got the answer right, as this photo of Jane's I posted a few days ago shows.

Another cut on AXVII

From the Dineen album in 1982: per Dixon 1994: "the front face of the Period 3b rampart, after removing the tumble and soil, showing the corner of the rebuilt defences, with a short gang length. A gang break is visible ... the collapse of the end of the bank has led to the spreading of the second gang-length southwards."

CH 1982 work scene ...

I think I've correctly identified this as being cutting AXVII across the interior taken from the top of the 1982 rampart cutting. Neither Jane Dineen, whose photo this is, nor I managed to recognise anyone even with the aid of a magnifier, so if you can do better and spot who's who, please let me know ...

Section through the 1982 rampart cutting AXVII

These two photos from Jane Dineen, when spliced together, give a superb view of the 1982 rampart cutting AXVII, viewed from cutting FA3(?ish). For a full account see pp144 to 149 of 'Crickley Hill, The Hillfort Defences' (Dixon 1994). P144 has two photographs which show the left and right hand parts of this photo. The left side, to quote PWD, is "the front face of the Period 2 rampart, built quite roughly on a deep turf and chipple bed, and left untouched and partially ruined during the later rebuilding of the defences during Period 3a and 3b". The right side is "the front face of the Period 3b rampart, after removing the tumble and soil, showing the corner of the rebuilt defences, with a short gang length. A gang break is visible ... the collapse of the end of the bank has led to the spreading of the second gang-length southwards."

I think I can see Iain Ferris, Mike Taylor, Terry Courtney, Jim Irvine, Steve Vaughan, Big Les and Bernie Dawson but do my eyes deceive me? Update: yes they do: Mr Boden said "You can't see Iain Ferris 'cos he wasn't there that year." Dr Ferris said "That's not me and I'm deeply hurt that you could think I would ever tuck my trouser-bottoms into my socks." Sorry.

The rampart cutting in 1982

Soft focus, or should that be out-of-focus shot from the Phillpotts archive: the rampart cutting in 1982 with, left to right, Mike Taylor, Angie, Phil Dixon, Duncan and Jane Dineen.

1982: a rampart comes to an end, or does my berm look big in this?

Two tiers of Iron Age wall are visible in this Phillpotts 1982 picture of Cutting AXVII. The nearer lower tier wall is the Period 3b rampart with tumble visible on the left from the end of the gangbreak. Above is the Period 2 wall. Having just re-read the relevant section of "Crickley Hill: the Hillfort Defences" (Dixon 1994) at pages 144 to 149, this gangbreak marked the end of the construction of the 3b rampart: "The team working on this part of the rampart were compelled to work very slowly removing stones and successively planning the result, in case the jumbled mass of stonework was not collapse but a badly built stretch of walling. During this process, at the eastern end closest to the ditch, a well-preserved south-facing vertical face suddenly appeared. The tumbled stones peeled from it, leaving large voids at the base, to demonstrate that they had fallen southwards from the lower tier of the rampart onto the inner side and berm* of the old ditch. The alignment of this new cross wall exactly matched the end of the recutting of the ditch and this it was clear that the Period 3b rebuilding of the rampart (and the concomitant recutting of the ditch) had proceeded no further than halfway across cutting AXVII, before coming to an end."

* berm: in mediaeval military engineering a berm (or berme) was a level space between a parapet or defensive wall and an adjacent steep-walled ditch or moat. It was intended to reduce soil pressure on the walls of the excavated part to prevent its collapse. It also meant that debris dislodged from fortifications would not fall into (and fill) a ditch or moat.

Another angle on the 1982 rampart cutting ...

Fair old section from the Phillpotts collection: Mike Webb, Steve Vaughan and Ros Cleal keeping a careful eye on what the men are up to and doubtless drawing some aspect of the cutting. Or she may just be doing a mermaid impression ...

A rampart looking so good you want to eat it ...

Yes, really. Well, I think so anyway. This is the north section of the 1982 rampart cut looking simply scrumptious. Iain Ferris mentioned meringue in the piece I posted this morning, but this goes way beyond meringue. Raspberry clafoutis? Elements of summer pudding? If you cropped it carefully, you could use it in a recipe book somewhere in the dessert and cake section and no one would be any the wiser. OK, OK so I'm getting a little over-excited, but my compliments to the chef-photographer, Dr Phillpotts.