1990 season begins ...

A splendidly atmospheric view of the vale taken by Lara Unger at the beginning of the 1990 season with just the turf taken off the cutting on the lower slope of the hill.

Gloucestershire shifts on its axis

A rather splendid view from the hill at a rollercoaster angle from Lara Unger's 1990 series. Makes one feel as though the ground is moving.

Apologies for the late posting today: C-H-M has been slaving over a hot stove to produce lunch consisting of Parmesan and chive scones with red onion marmalade, Mushroom roulade stuffed with cream cheese & spring onions, Marinaded prawn, mango and spinach salad, Cherry tomatoes stuffed with mint and cream cheese, Avocado rillettes with tarragon and Greek yogurt, Chicken with saffron and lemon, Pumpkin, butternut squash and brown lentil strudel, Quinoa and lime salad, new potatoes baked en papillotte with rosemary and garlic, Lemon meringue pie and Brownies. Serious quantities of yummy leftovers lurk in the fridges ...

Westwards into the rain ...

A rather beautiful shot across the hill to the west taken by Lara Unger right at the start of the 1990 season: it must have been the day the lorry was hired as the huts are lying agape unassembled on the hilltop. Rain visible just off the hill to the right.

The Iron Age interior

The yellow markers for the Iron Age roundhouses and the blue ones for the longhouses can just be picked out in this 1990 photo taken looking back towards the Iron Age ramparts and entrance by Lara Unger. The viewing platform, dubbed by some, for reasons that C-H-M can no longer recall, the 'Courtney Memorial Platform' stands proud against the skyline.

From the ramparts, looking north ...

From the ramparts under a very beautiful sky with fabulous light as it so often is on top of the hill: this photo was taken by Lara Unger during the 1990 season. It makes C-H-M want to be up there looking out over the Severn Vale.

The view from Leckhampton

Oddly enough, given more than 30 years visiting a certain hillfort, one of C-H-M's omissions has been a visit to the hillfort next door. So it is a delight to find amongst Lara Unger's 1993 photographs this view "from Leckhampton fort towards our camp (which you can just barely make out in the centre". So that's what it looks like over there ...

The joining instructions for 1993

Lara Unger has kindly sent me the background information sheet and the joining instructions that she received for the 1993 season.

The background sheet reads:

"CRICKLEY HILL EXCAVATIONS

The twenty-fourth season of excavations will take place between 9 July and 17 August 1993.

The site is on a hilltop of the Cotswolds overlooking the Vale of Severn, with a wide panorama from the Warwickshire uplands to the Black Mountains of Wales. Excavations here began in 1969, and have continued each summer since. Remains of about twenty phases of occupation have been identified, ranging from the Neolithic (c.3000 BC) to the sub-Roman period (c. AD450). In the Neolithic a series of settlements, enclosed by ditches and banks, stood on top of the hill. After repeated attacks they were abandoned, and the site was occupied by ritual monuments - a stone circle and an earthen long mound. Much later, about 500 BC, two successive hillforts with substantial defences were built: each was destroyed by fire. Late in the Iron Age, just before 1BC, the hill was reoccupied, but without defences. After the Roman conquest of Britain the area was farmed, with a country house and a farmstead below the hill. At the end of the Roman period two separate settlements were built inside the old defences, probably during the fifth century AD. Both were burnt, and the hill was abandoned to pasture. An illustrated booklet describing excavations is available, price £2.50 (incl. p&p): please indicate on the form if you wish to receive Village, Fortress and Shrine, and enclose payment with your form.

During the 1993 season we hope to excavate in two areas: to the north-east of the Neolithic settlement, where surface indications suggest the complex rampart structure, and to the north of the western gate of the Neolithic camp, where excavations in 1992 showed an Iron Age roadway.

Accommodation for the team is in the Ullenwood Civil Defence Centre, which is less than a mile from the excavation site. Here we have dormitories for men and for women, washrooms and showers, a dining hall, kitchen and sitting room, and a lecture theatre, together with plenty of space for tents and caravans, set within a former army camp. The accommodation comes with full board (a cooked breakfast, sandwich lunch, an evening meal, and tea and biscuits during the morning and afternoon breaks) for an inclusive cost of £37.50 a week. Vegetarian meals are available by arrangement. We do not like diggers to cater for themselves in the camp, as our experience is that it is very difficult for the digger and distracting the staff, because of the problems of shopping. Lectures about the site and related subjects will be given normally on four evenings each week, and we hope to be able to organise a coach trip to visit monuments in the area during the training week. The excavation is run by a charitable trust and exists only with the aid of donations and sponsorship. All (including the director and staff) are unpaid volunteers. A few grants-in-aid, however, are available for those in special need, to cover part of the cost board and lodging. If you wish to be considered for one of these, please indicate this on your application form. We normally have to limit these to experienced workers.

On site we work six days a week between 9 am and 6 pm. Thursday are free days, when shops are open in Cheltenham and Gloucester. During the Advance period we shall be cleaning the camp and setting up the site huts, and making ready for the excavations. During the rearguard period we should be clearing up and putting away the tools. Note that board and lodging are free to diggers during these periods. Do not worry if you feel unfit: a wide range of jobs is available on site, from heavy digging to recording, drawing and finds processing. We hope that volunteers will be able to gain experience in as many different tasks as possible, and training and advice is provided by the supervisors and staff. Previous experience is not essential, but it takes about a week from the beginning to understand the work: try to join us at least at this period if you have never done before. We can, however, accept weekend-only diggers if they can make it a regular commitment. We are always ready to accept experienced diggers for shorter periods.

Training week: between 1 August and 7 August there will be a special training period, which will run in parallel with the normal digging. During this period those who enrol for training will receive additional lectures and tutorials and fieldtrips, and will be able to accompany the director supervisors at their tasks, in addition to some general digging on site. The cost of the trainees during this period will be £140, including full board and excursions. If you would like to receive further information about this, please indicate it on the application form. Note that during this period the normal digging programme will be available for non-participants in the training week at the normal rate of £37.50 per week.

If you wish to join us, fill in the application form and indicate the day on which you intend to arrive, the first meal you wish to take, and the day (normally the next day) on which you wish to start digging. If you find you enjoy it, you can normally arrange to extend your stay with us. Send your application, together with your deposit of £37.50 (which is your first week's board and lodging) to me at Nottingham, and I will send you a map, joining instructions, and some suggestions about what to bring with you.

Thank you for your interest in our work. Philip Dixon."

Said joining instructions are these:

"CRICKLEY HILL EXCAVATIONS

Dear Lara

Thank you for your application to dig at Crickley Hill between 7 July and ......... We have accommodation/space for your tent/caravan from 6 July to ...........

The Site is above the Air Balloon roundabout (the junction of the upper road from Cheltenham to Stroud with the road from Gloucester, at Nat. Grid Ref. S0934162. Immediately to the NW of the roundabout, on the Cheltenham Road is a sign to Crickley Hill Country Park. Follow the tarmac road up the hill to the Car Park and the Park Information Centre, which is about 100 yards to the east of the excavation site.

Accommodation is in Ullenwood Civil Defence Centre, Greenway Lane, Lech Hampton, Cheltenham, Glos (NGR SO 936174). Greenway Lane is a narrow road on the north side of the road from Cheltenham to the Air Balloon. [Take care not to go to Ullenwood Star Centre, which is an institution to the south of the Cheltenham Road, nor to Ullenwood Manor, which is a private house immediately to the west of Greenway Lane.] At Ullenwood CD Centre we have our dormitories, dining and lecture halls, kitchen and washrooms, and space for camping. Campers use the normal facilities of the Centre. Self catering is strongly discouraged, as there are no local shops. We can provide vegetarian meals. Those who use the dormitories should bring sleeping bags or sheets, or pillows and blankets. If this is difficult, we can supply pillows, sheets and blankets at the cost of their laundry.

Please arrive on the afternoon or evening before your first morning's digging with us. Cheltenham can be reached by coach or by rail. The camp is about 4 miles to the south of the town centre; many walk, since there is no convenient local bus service, but taxis are available: they should cost about £5. When you arrive, come either to the excavations (but not after 5 pm) or to Ullenwood camp, where most times of the day, and certainly after 6 pm, you will find members of the excavation. You should report your arrival at the earliest opportunity to the kitchen staff.

We will provide you with all meals at cost, which will amount to £37 50 per week: this includes a cooked breakfast, sandwich lunch, a full cooked meal in the evening, and biscuits and tea during the morning and afternoon breaks. On Thursdays, our day off, breakfast is confined to cereals/bread and jam, and lunch will not be provided: most of the team will be away in town or visiting on this day. Dinner on Thursdays is normally a cold buffet set out about 6 pm (and sometimes consumed by 6.30). During the rest of the week dinner will be served about 7 pm. In the evening after dinner (normally on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Fridays) there will be lectures for any who are interested on a range of subjects including the weekly site lecture (on Sundays), the background to the site, and problems of archaeological techniques and interpretation. During the week from 1 to 7 August there will be additional lectures in the evening as part of the training week. During this period there will be a field trip by coach; this should cost about £5 or so per head. If you are taking part in the training week this trip will be free, and you will be given your supplementary programme of teaching and site visits when you arrive.

Digging will take place between 9 am to 6 pm daily, except for Thursday. We have an hour after lunch, and tea breaks in the morning and afternoon. Bring warm clothes, which you don't mind getting muddy, and something really waterproof. You will need waterproof footwear (but nothing with heavily serrated soles, which leave marks on the site) and light but comfortable shoes (e.g. old trainers, but not sandals or beach shoes, which give your feet little protection). The weather can be very hot on the hill, and the next day cold wet and windy, and so you may need gloves, sun hat, dark glasses, sun lotion and insect repellent. Most people bring two (old) mugs, one for the site and one of the camp. We have stocks of utensils, but you may wish to bring your own: a knife, fork, spoon, plate, soup bowl. If you do, do not bring anything precious, since things get broken and lost. Unless your hands are already tough you will certainly need surgical spirit and Elastoplast. You may find a kneeling mat or a piece of foam rubber useful. It is certainly softer than kneeling on the rock. You will need a trowel. This should not be gardening tool but a builder's pointing trowel, diamond-shaped, and with a shank forged in one with the blade. They cost from £4 pounds to £15, dependent on the make, and the cheaper ones break very easily. The size is important: 4" or 5" is best; 6" too long. You are advised to mark it as clearly as possible with your name, or paint the handle distinctively, since they are universal tools which people habitually leave lying on the ground, and others pick up. You will need to bring two or more hard pencils (4H or 5H) for drawing and one of normal (HB) hardness for writing, a pencil sharpener, eraser and coloured pencils (red, yellow and blue) for planning.

Medical: for any work which involves digging with the chance of abrasions, a tetanus inoculation is recommended, if you have not already had one. We have an excavation doctor in Cheltenham, and are accustomed to first aid on the site (mostly blisters!). If you have any question about these instructions, please telephone or write as soon as possible: telephone numbers and addresses are given below.

For urgent communications during the period of the excavations contact: Mr R. D. A. Savage, etc. While at Crickley your postal address will be c/o Ullenwood Civil Defence Centre, Greenway Lane, Leckhampton, Cheltenham, Glos, England. There is no telephone at our base (though outgoing calls can be made from a nearby public box). If you wish to contact me during excavation period, please use this address. Some people try to reach me at the University during this period. This is pointless, since I shall not be there. I enclose a map which shows the site, Ullenwood camp and nearby roads, and look forward to seeing you."

The Long Mound 1990

Cuttings V97-98 and W97-98 or thereabouts of the Long Mound are well shown in this 1990 season picture sent by Lara Unger. The two people on the right are Colin and Kristen. The turf lifted from the cutting surface is carefully laid out behind and protected by planking.

Same shot sixteen years apart

These two pictures were taken standing on the same spot with an interval of nearly sixteen years: the top photo was taken by Lara Unger, in August 1993, and the bottom one by C-H-M, in April 2009, standing just to the south of the viewing platform (demolished by 2009), looking south, down the Iron Age rampart, with Barrow Wake on the horizon. Interesting to see the effect of the maintenance by the Cotswold wardens: the erosion of path on the top of the rampart appears to have been arrested and the rampart looks better for the absence of bushes. Lara definitely has more interesting light and finer clouds.

Begin at the beginning ...

This must have been taken on lorry day or thenabouts in 1993 by Lara Unger, as she shows the site huts lying on the ground, just before being put up. On the right of the hut sections can be seen the tops of the blue posts, inserted into the ground to mark the position of the postholes of the Iron Age longhouses.

How Lara Unger came to Crickley ...

Lara Unger found the advertisement in 'Archaeology' magazine that led her to Crickley together with the prospectus she was sent for the Training Week. The piece in 'Archaeology' read:

"Crickley Hill (year- round, excavations July 6th to 20th August) Villages, fortresses and religious grounds dating from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages have been discovered at this site. Archaeologists are examining the remains to gain further insight into both the secular and sacred life of the various settlements over time. Nearby attractions include hillforts, barrows and mediaeval towns in the Cotswolds. Getting there: take the train or coach to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and a taxi to the site (about 4 miles); wheelchair accessible. No appointment necessary to visit the site (open daily). Accommodation and restaurants in town. Volunteers accepted. Write for application. Contact Philip Dixon, Department of Archaeology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham N97 2RD, England (tel.) 602 515151."

Taking her courage in both hands after reading that mildly confusing flyer, Lara wrote off: Tina Dudley replied, enclosing the Training Programme. Tina's letter is on notepaper with a Crickley Hill Excavations logo in the shape of the postholes of an Iron Age Roundhouse: very good!

"Training Week

The Training week is designed to provide a concentrated period of excavation and post excavation experience, and a general understanding of archaeological methods. The week includes site visits, practical experience in digging, finds processing, planning and post-excavation work, all accompanied by regular lectures and seminars. All members of the training week have the opportunity to take part in all stages of the excavation process during their stay and will be attached to staff members, in order to observe the practices and duties of the digging team, who will provide immediate help and advice. [C-H-M would like to see a cartoon from Mr Andrew Powell depicting training week members attached to staff members who are providing immediate help and advice ...] Those on the Training Week stay in the accommodation of the Crickley Hill Excavation team, and share with the team in their social activities. [Hmm... should this have said: all Training Week members are automatically inducted into the Crickley Hill Formation Drinking Team?] Full information about the excavation and about the site visits will be provided upon arrival at Ullenwood.

Proposed programme

• Sunday 1 August on arrival you will be greeted by the Site Manager who will show you to your accommodation. All Training Week members will then assemble before dinner (7pm), which is followed by an introduction to the staff members and a lecture about the work at Crickley Hill over the past 25 years
• Monday 2 August In the morning we shall visit the site, and have a discussion of the excavation and its results. The visit will include a full site tour and explanations of our archaeological methods. After lunch you will receive your initial practical experience in either digging or finds processing. A member of staff is allocated to provide advice and answer any questions. At 8pm there will be a lecture on excavation methods.
• Tuesday 3 August Coach excursion to local sites of interest. This field trip is aimed at the earlier periods of archaeology. The timetable proposed for this trip is as follows: Leave Ullenwood at 9:00 am to travel to the late Iron Age hillfort at Uleybury Arrive at Neolithic Barrows of Hetty Pegler's Tump and Nympsfield. Minchinhampton earthworks: these probably belong to the late Iron Age Visit to Frocester Court which has something for everybody. The site has been excavated by its owner for over 30 years, and includes a Neolithic settlement, an Iron Age farmstead, a Roman Villa, and an important mediaeval grange, with a massive tithe barn. Visit to Cirencester, capital city of half of Roman Britain, and a well preserved mediaeval and early modern town; we may have a chance to visit the museum dependant upon time Return to Ullenwood for dinner. [Phew - there seems to be an element of time-travel about this day in the programme, but with Lofty at the wheel anything was possible...]
• Wednesday 4 August Half your day will be spent digging on site and half processing finds. This is designed to ensure that all members of Training Week receive good, all-round experience. There will a lecture in the evening on prehistoric settlements.
• Thursday 5 August Coach excursion to sites of interest on the Welsh Border. This field trip is aimed at the later periods of archaeology. Sites we intend to visit include: the 11th- century castle at Chepstow, a 12th century castle and 15th century manor house at Tretower, the rocky hillfort at Castell Dinas and the ruins of Tintern Abbey. Return to Ullenwood for dinner.
• Friday 6 August Planning, surveying and drawing. This will be in the form of practicals and lectures. Evening lecture on Fringe archaeology.
• Saturday 7 August Post excavation work, this includes the use of computers, processing of finds, site reports in the form of practicals and lectures. Evening lecture on publishing archaeological reports.
• Sunday 8 August This is your last day and by now you should have established where your interest lies in the field of archaeology. You have the choice of digging, drawing, finds, computer work or planning.

The cost of the Training Week is £140. This covers all tuition and transport costs as well as accommodation and board. Paces are limited: if you wish to take part a deposit of £40 is payable (cheques made payable to the Crickley Hill Trust and sent to me at Nottingham). The balance is due when you arrive at Ullenwood at the beginning of Training Week. If you have any queries or problems write to me at the Department of Archaeology, Nottingham. Your address during your visit will be Ullenwood Civil Defence Centre, Greenway Lane, Leckhampton, Cheltenham, Glos."

It almost makes me want to apply, especially the field trips ... to which I have now added some links.

1993: Cutting ZA91 and ZB91

Lara Unger's beautiful photo from 1993 shows Cuttings ZA91 and ZB91 (if I've read the site plans properly) at the beginning of the excavation. It sometimes happened, as here, that a cutting opened in the previous year was unfinished. A sheet of plastic would be laid over the surface and the spoil backfilled and the turf replaced. The following season would begin with the heavy labouring job of digging out the dirt off the plastic sheet which can be seen emerging from underneath. This view to the west could almost be a watercolour.

The Long Barrow

Lara Unger dug at Crickley in 1993 and she has very kindly sent me her photographs from that season. Here is a beautiful shot of the long barrow taken during the walk between Ullenwood and the site.

Witts' Handbook of Gloucestershire contains the following entry:

"No. 11. — Crippetts Barrow

This fine tumulus is a conspicuous object on Shurdington Hill, •three miles south of Cheltenham, and three quarters of a mile north-east of the Crickley Hill Camp. The position affords extensive views over the vale of Gloucester. The barrow is •189 feet long, its greatest width being 100 feet, and greatest height 20 feet. Its direction is nearly east and west, the highest position lying towards the east. Many years ago the tenant of the land began to move away part of the earth at the southern extremity, and in doing so uncovered a cromlech, in which was found a skeleton and several articles of which no satisfactory account can now be obtained. The ground in which the tumulus stands is still called the "Barrow Piece." It has never been thoroughly examined, though it has been carefully protected by placing a fence round it — a good example which might be followed in many other cases. There are two round barrows in the same field.

See "Journal of Archaeological Association," vol. III, p64.

Also "Celt, Roman, and Saxon," 1875, p74.

See "Anthropological Review," vol. III, pp66 and 71.

Also "Archaeologia," vol. XLII, p201. "