A new research strategy for the Yorkshire Wolds is being launched by Historic England and York Archaeological Trust at an online event on Wednesday, 5 October.
‘The Wonders of the Wolds’ launch event will showcase the findings of a four-year project, funded by Historic England, which involved a wide range of local people as well as academics.
The event will highlight aspects of the new research strategy which it’s hoped will shape the way this ancient landscape is studied and enjoyed in the future.
The Yorkshire Wolds is a unique, fascinating landscape. Stretching across East and North Yorkshire, the Wolds are a living time-capsule, where evidence of our ancestors from the Palaeolithic through to Roman, Medieval and Victorian times is all around.
People have lived on and farmed the Yorkshire Wolds for thousands of years. They have left behind a rich tapestry of archaeology and heritage – from Britain’s largest prehistoric standing stone at Rudston to the 17th century lighthouse overseeing the dramatic landscape at Flamborough Head.
To capture the impact of the past on the present, investigators from York Archaeological Trust focused on how people once made a living from the landscape in order to open-up discussion about connections with how local residents live now.
They spoke to professional archaeologists and community groups but also involved school-children, farmers, bakers and brewers and took the unusual step of asking about their encounters with the past, specifically based on the area as a food producing region.
The results of the research have been brought together on a user-friendly Yorkshire Wolds Website.
It is hoped that the website will act as a resource for anyone who wants to find out more about the Yorkshire Wolds –from academics carrying out research, archaeologists planning excavations, local people wanting to know more, visitors and schools.
A wide range of information is available – from resources for archaeologists to walking guides for visitors, and a comic book featuring Jo the Scarecrow.
It is hoped that the website will act as a resource for anyone who wants to find out more about the Yorkshire Wolds –from academics carrying out research, archaeologists planning excavations, local people wanting to know more, visitors and schools.
A wide range of information is available – from resources for archaeologists to walking guides for visitors, and a comic book featuring Jo the Scarecrow.
Keith Emerick, from Historic England, said: “The Yorkshire Wolds is a rich and fascinating landscape. The ‘wonder’ of the Wolds is the unique relationship between some of the most spectacular archaeology in the country, its rolling hills, its big skies and the peace and quiet of a largely agricultural landscape. By developing this new strategy, we have a plan to help everyone understand and enjoy this special place.”
Chris Tuckley, from York Archaeological Trust, said: “Our research has captured this distinctive landscape and its unique heritage through an interesting and different approach – focused on the meaning of the Wolds to present communities. Through the Yorkshire Wolds Research Framework project, we wanted to start a conversation about the past and the future investigation of the Yorkshire Wolds and involve as many people as possible.
“Our plan was to bring together what we know about the archaeology and heritage of the Yorkshire Wolds from existing records and then to find out what people living and working there want to know more about in the future”.
Dr Peter Halkon and Dr Melanie Giles were academic advisers to the project and research strategy.
Dr Peter Halkon, Chair of the East Riding Archaeological Society, said: “The Yorkshire Wolds contains one of the richest yet least recognised archaeological landscapes in England. Amazing recent discoveries such as the Iron Age chariots from Pocklington and the Neolithic carved chalk drum from Burton Agnes, are beginning to change this. Although lacking the great stone monuments of Wessex such as Stonehenge and Avebury, largely due to geology and centuries of ploughing, the prehistoric archaeology of the Wolds is just as significant. The largest collection of Roman mosaics in the north of England was found on the Wolds, as well as the most carefully explored Deserted Medieval Village at Wharram Percy. Our research strategy provides a brilliant opportunity for communities to contribute to highlighting the Yorkshire Wolds’ internationally significant heritage”.
Dr Melanie Giles, from the University of Manchester, said: ‘The Yorkshire Wolds harbours so many hidden gems: extraordinary archaeological monuments and historical sites that together tell the story of Britain itself. It is a landscape that should really appeal to those who love ‘slow and sustainable’ tourism; enchanting chalk landscapes, unique ecologies and rare heritage that we want to promote and champion more widely. We greatly look forward to sharing some of these wonders with ‘virtual visitors’ through the launch event.’
The free, online launch event for the Yorkshire Wolds Research Strategy will take place at 7.00pm on Wednesday, 5 October. It will include a panel discussion with representatives of Historic England and York Archaeological Trust, plus Melanie Giles (University of Manchester), Peter Halkon (University of Hull) and Neil Redfern (Council for British Archaeology).
