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Art as Metaphor: The Prehistoric Rock-art of Britain

Art as Metaphor: The Prehistoric Rock-art of Britain

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Creswell Crags - Cave or Rock Shelter in England in Derbyshire

Submitted by Andy B on Friday, 15 February 2019  Page Views: 65965

Natural PlacesSite Name: Creswell Crags Alternative Name: Creswell Crags Museum and Visitor Centre, Creswell Heritage Trust; a National Centre for the Ice Age
Country: England County: Derbyshire Type: Cave or Rock Shelter
Nearest Town: Mansfield  Nearest Village: Welbeck
Map Ref: SK535743
Latitude: 53.263009N  Longitude: 1.199399W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
4 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
4

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I have visited· I would like to visit

PAB whese001 Davidrogersbooks would like to visit

Orcinus visited on 1st Jan 1987 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 I was part of the Manpower Services Scheme employed here in 1987-88. I excavated in Pin Hole Cave (1cm spits)

Andy B: would like to visit Featured as part of BBC's History of Ancient Britain with Neil Oliver

SandyG DrewParsons MartinRS have visited here

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by dodomad : The biggest concentration of protective marks ever found in British caves has been discovered at Creswell Crags in the East Midlands. The caves are home to the only Ice Age Rock art in Britain. The marks, known as apotropaic marks or witches’ marks, are scribed in the walls and ceilings of the caves to ward off evil spirits. Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge on the Nottinghamshire/ Derbys... (Vote or comment on this photo)
Creswell Crags is an ensemble of several small caves along both sides of a small gorge on border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The caves provided shelter for Neanderthal and anatomically modern people through a crucial period of human evolution between 130,000 and 10,000 years ago. Archaeological finds include flint and bone tools, and carvings, proving that Ice Age hunters visited the site to hunt reindeer and horse. There is a museum and visitor centre.

The valley was carved out of limestone by a small river. So numerous crags, mostly small and narrow caves were cut through. The gorge is about 500m long and the gorge floor is occupied by a large lake. It is possible to visit all the caves known as Robin Hood's cave, Church Hole, Grundy's Parlour or Pin Hole. The oldest remains in Creswell Crags are 45,000 years old Neandertal stone tools.

A particular site of interest is Church Hole Cave, which contains Palaeolithic cave art, the only example of this in the UK. This cave is now open to the public but pre-booking is advised as they get very busy.

View our news stories about this discovery.

More details at the official web site of the Creswell Crags Museum and Visitor Centre.

See more about the various caves in our Nearby Sites list below and in particular Church Hole Cave.

Note: The biggest concentration of protective 'witch' marks ever found in British caves has been discovered at Creswell Crags in the East Midlands. More details in the comments on our page.
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Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Blingo_von_Trumpenstein : A shot from 3rd June 2010. A touch of HDR processing from a RAW file. Had it all to myself. Spent several hours (yes hours) in the visitors centre just staring at the Ochre Horse. It is truly mesmerising. Well worth a visit if you live within 12,000 miles !! Enjoy Blingo (Vote or comment on this photo)

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by SandyG : Dog Hole Cave (10th September 2008). (Vote or comment on this photo)

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by stu : Looking down the limestone gorge of Creswell Crags...the cliffs and caves almost completely hidden by the trees. Even if you don't go for any of the cave tours on offer....Creswell is a great place to spend an afternoon. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Orcinus : Creswell Crags cave detail, 1987 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Orcinus : Misty view of the gorge, Creswell Crags in 1987 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Orcinus : Creswell Crags in 1987, looking towards Church Hole Cave(?)

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Orcinus : Creswell Crags in 1987

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Orcinus : Creswell Crags in 1987, before the through-road was closed

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Orcinus

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by dodomad : A Neanderthal skull, part of the Humans in Ancient Britain exhibition which opens at Creswell Crags, running until 7th June Ancient Britain was home to Neanderthals and modern humans. Image credit: The Natural History Museum

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Bladup : Creswell Crags.

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Bladup

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Bladup

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Bladup

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Bladup

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by Bladup

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by DrewParsons : Creswell Crags - the caves are located on either side of this small gorge. September 2013.

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by DrewParsons : Past the public viewing area there are some ibis, or perhaps a group of women according to an alternative interpretation. I was the only person on the tour in September 2103 and the guide escorted me further into the cave to see these carvings.

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by DrewParsons : Hand held flint knives dated to 13,000 years before present and on display in the museum at Creswell Crags. September 2013.

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by DrewParsons : Spear tips found in Robin Hood Cave and dated to between 45,000 and 28,000 years before present - either Neanderthal or Homo sapiens in origin and on display in the museum at Creswell Crags. September 2013..

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by DrewParsons : A notched bone fragment which might have been used to clean and soften leather or perhaps for winding thread. Dated to 12,000 years before present and on display in the museum at Creswell Crags. September 2013..

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by DrewParsons : Hare leg bones made into fine points to make holes in animal skins so that they could be laced together. Dated to 12,500 years before present and on display in the museum at Creswell Crags. September 2013..

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by DrewParsons : A needle found in Church Hole Cave dated to 12,000 years before present and on display in the museum at Creswell Crags. September 2013..

Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags submitted by DrewParsons : Various blades found in some of the caves at Creswell Crags on display in the museum there. September 2013.

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 100m E 91° Mother Grundy’s Parlour Cave or Rock Shelter (SK536743)
 141m SW 226° Robin Hood’s Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (SK534742)
 282m SW 226° Ossiferous Fissure Cave or Rock Shelter (SK533741)
 282m SW 226° Pin Hole Cave Cave or Rock Shelter (SK533741)
 360m WSW 237° Church Hole* Cave or Rock Shelter (SK532741)
 2.6km WNW 291° Markland Grips Hillfort* Hillfort (SK511752)
 2.6km WNW 288° Markland Grips Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (SK510751)
 2.7km NW 313° Ash Tree Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (SK5148576144)
 3.2km SW 228° Whaley Rock Shelter2 Cave or Rock Shelter (SK511721)
 3.3km SW 218° Whaley Rock Shelter1 Cave or Rock Shelter (SK515717)
 5.1km SSW 200° Langwith Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (SK518695)
 5.1km N 354° Thorpe Common Shelter Cave or Rock Shelter (SK529794)
 6.1km SSW 206° Scarcliffe Shelter 4 Cave or Rock Shelter (SK509688)
 6.6km SSW 209° Scarcliffe Shelter 2 Cave or Rock Shelter (SK504685)
 6.6km SSW 209° Scarcliffe Shelter 3 Cave or Rock Shelter (SK504685)
 6.8km SSW 211° Scarcliffe Shelter 1 Cave or Rock Shelter (SK501684)
 8.3km S 177° Sookholme Bath* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SK5466)
 8.8km SE 134° Thynghowe* Artificial Mound (SK59936834)
 9.3km N 356° Dead Man's Cave/Anston Stones Wood* Cave or Rock Shelter (SK5276283530)
 9.3km ESE 112° Budby Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SK62187087)
 10.4km NNE 21° St Mary's Well (Wallingwells) Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SK572840)
 12.8km S 175° The Lady Well (Mansfield) Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SK548616)
 15.6km NW 307° Birley Spa Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SK40908361)
 17.7km S 170° Friar Tuck's Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SK568569)
 18.4km SSW 210° Blackwell Cross* Ancient Cross (SK443583)
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Sat 20th / Sun 21st, Festival of Victorian Archaeology - Creswell Crags by Andy B on Friday, 14 June 2019
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Main weekend event: Saturday 20th-Sunday 21st Craft activities available during the week (Monday 22nd-Friday 26th July)

Transport yourself to the Victorian era and the birth of archaeological science at our family-friendly festival.

Visit the staging ground for debates that shaped our understanding of the prehistoric mind and creation of the Earth. Meet the antiquarians as they lead you on a journey of discovery, intrigue and ego.

Become an archaeologist for the day and learn about the pioneering techniques in your own mock excavation of the Crags and explore a site rich with history and controversy.

Explore the fascinating world of the Victorians and the very first Archaeologists to excavate our Limestone caves.

This was an age of discovery, exploration and cutting edge science, where the secrets of the Ice Age hunters were revealed and uncovered for the first time in thousands of years.

https://festival.archaeologyuk.org/events/festival-victorian-archaeology-creswell-crags-1549622691
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Witches’ Marks Discovery ‘Largest in Britain’ by Runemage on Friday, 15 February 2019
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From Historic England on 15 Feb 2019: The biggest concentration of protective marks ever found in British caves has been discovered at Creswell Crags in the East Midlands. The caves are home to the only Ice Age Rock art in Britain.

The marks, known as apotropaic marks or witches’ marks, are scribed in the walls and ceilings of the caves to ward off evil spirits. Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge on the Nottinghamshire/ Derbyshire border with history dating back 60,000 years. Enthusiasts, Hayley Clark and Ed Waters from the Subterranea Britannica group, made the discovery during a cave tour.

A common place to find the marks is historic churches and houses, as they are scribed to protect the inhabitants from evil spirits. The witch mark designs vary. The most popular design seen is the double 'VV' engravings, which may make reference to Mary, Virgin of Virgins and PM is Pace Maria.

Other designs are believed to be devices for capturing ‘evil’. These include diagonal lines, boxes and mazes and could be a response to a period of unexpected sickness, death or poor crops.

The site is protected as a scheduled monument and Historic England is advising on its future management, as well as the significance and interpretation of the witches’ marks. Creswell Crags are also working with academics to better understand the discovery. Tours of the caves containing the witches’ marks will begin in late February 2019.

Photographs, video and more information at https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/witches-marks-discovery-largest-in-britain/

I've opened a Forum thread for discussion here https://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Forum&file=viewtopic&topic=7994&forum=4
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Re: New road for Creswell Crags by Andy B on Thursday, 15 March 2018
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From 2004: UNEARTHING MYSTERIES BBC Radio 4
Creswell Cave Art
Tuesday 21 December 2004 11.00-11.30am

There's no prehistoric cave art in Britain! Well, that had been the assumption until recently. Aubrey Manning goes caving with archaeologists who are determined to correct that assumption and transform our understanding of stone age Britain.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/unearthingmysteries_20041221.shtml
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Sound performance at Cresswell Crags, Saturday 26th August 2017 at 17.30 by Andy B on Friday, 28 July 2017
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Refugium is a site-specific landscape composition created by Jon Hughes, Ben Elliott and Mark Edmonds, which uses sound to explore the history of Creswell Crags. It will be performed within the Creswell Gorge on Saturday 26th August 2017 at 17.30.

Attendance of this event is absolutely free, and the composers would welcome as many people along as wish to join them.

On the 26th of August 2017, Refugium will fill the Creswell Gorge with sound.

Some of these will be the sounds of birds and animals who once lived here when the climate and environment was very different. At times you might get a feel of what Creswell Crags sounded like in the past. Some of these sounds will be of the birds and animals which live in the Gorge today.

Some of these sounds will be the voices of people who live in and around the area today. Some of these sounds will be the sounds associated with activities carried out by humans in Creswell’s past; people making fire, people working stone, people carving animals in limestone, people butchering meat, eating, laughing, crying, shouting, and whispering.

Some of these sounds will be songs; choral music sung by the Stonegate Singers Community Choir, who will be performing songs inspired by the Creswell Gorge.

Some of these sounds will be played on instruments, by musicians inspired by the story of the Creswell Crags and the archaeology of its caves.

These sounds will come from the caves themselves, and an arrangement of outdoor speakers at the West End of the Creswell Gorge. These speakers will create an 3D, surround-sound environment which will bring the sounds of Creswell Crags together in an immersive piece of music composed by Jon Hughes which explores the story of Creswell Crags.

At 17.30 on Saturday 26th of August, we will meet at the Creswell Crags visitors centre, and walk down into the Gorge to explore these strange and familiar sounds together.

Other outputs of the project include a temporary sound installation within the Creswell Crags Visitors Centre,and an online archive of sound recordings which relate to the past acoustic ecologies represented in Creswell’s unique archaeological, historical and palaeoenvironmental records.

Jon Hughes – Composer and Sound Artist
Ben Elliott – Early Prehistorian
Mark Edmonds – Landscape Archaeologist

Refugium marks the culimation of the SoundTracks; a two-year research project funded by the Lverhulme Trust and runs in partnership with the British Library and Creswell Heritage Trust. This reflects a collaboration between the University of York's Departments of Archaeology and Music.

https://www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/news-and-events/events/external/refugium/

https://refugium2017.wordpress.com/
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    Re: Sound performance at Cresswell Crags, Saturday 26th August 2017 at 17.30 by Andy B on Friday, 28 July 2017
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    Ben Elliott writes:

    We now have an indoor installation open! An ambient, hour-long piece now accompanies the "A Place To Call Our Own" exhibition at the Creswell Crags Visitors Centre. It will be there for a month in the run-up to Refugium and explores glacial action, hyena denning, subterranean water systems, bat heritage, and the birth of technology and language - alongside many other weird and wonderful things! If anyone can't make the event on Saturday 26th August, but still wants to get a taste of what we've been up to, get yourselves along and have a listen.

    https://www.facebook.com/events/983838351718489/permalink/1035080296594294/
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    Re: Sound performance at Cresswell Crags, Saturday 26th August 2017 at 17.30 by drolaf on Saturday, 29 July 2017
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    i'm defo going to this. first i'm off to a couple of festivals with my sticks, stones, bones and bullroarers, doing workshops.
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    Re: Sound performance at Cresswell Crags, Saturday 26th August 2017 at 17.30 by Blingo_von_Trumpenstein on Tuesday, 08 August 2017
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    I cannot resist the lure of the mysterious sounds. The acoustics should be interesting, especially from within the caves. I trust there will be percussion - the heartbeat of all sound. I'm going to pack some djembes just in case...
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    Re: Sound performance at Cresswell Crags, Saturday 26th August 2017 at 17.30 by drolaf on Monday, 28 August 2017
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    The soundscape went well, with about 150 people turning up. People were obviously quite moved by the primeval sounds. (I'm not sure the modern choral singing went with it). The three hosts from York were very approachable, and many good contacts and links were made.
    It was a good excuse to visit the crags, best times are early morning and later evening, when the tourists and dog walkers aren't dashing about the place.
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    Re: Sound performance at Cresswell Crags, Saturday 26th August 2017 at 17.30 by Andy B on Wednesday, 23 June 2021
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    More photos and information about this at the composer's web site:
    https://jonhughesmusic.com/home/soundtracks-acoustic-landscapes-in-the-past-and-present/
    and here
    https://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/sound-and-vision/2015/06/sound-tracks-acoustic-landscapes-in-the-past-and-present.html#sthash.IxKmD4U5.dpuf

    Apparently part of the project was to create "An online legacy of content for all to access and use." - does anyone know where this is?
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Video: Considering driving forces in the exploration of Creswell Crags through sound by Andy B on Wednesday, 26 April 2017
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Prime movers: Considering the "driving forces" in the exploration of Creswell Crags through sound - Ben Elliott, University of York, , Jon Hughes, University of York

This paper reflects critically on the authors gradual development of an approach used in the exploration of sound within archaeological landscapes. This has played out in both the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire (under the Sonic Horizons of the Mesolithic Project) and at Creswell Crags, Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire (under the SoundTracks Project), and has produced a series of novel research questions and outputs to date. Drawing on existing bodies of knowledge including archaeology, palaeoecology, geology, history, acoustic ecology, sound studies, acoustic engineering, compositional practice and experimental writing, this approach has begged, borrowed and stolen technological, theoretical and scientific approaches in pursuit of its core question: what did this place sound like?

In tracing this development, we articulate the varied and conflated influences on our approach, and argue that, within this context, a search for a "prime mover" or "origin point" for our work is somewhat moot. In doing so, we wish to ultimately question the character of truly interdisciplinary research, and the potential this offered for the generation and communication of different kinds
of knowledge and understanding.

https://youtu.be/dEzK1UV_Zt4
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    Re: Video: Considering driving forces in the exploration of Creswell Crags through so by Andy B on Wednesday, 26 April 2017
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    [Frustrating that we only got to hear about this stuff when it's finished! - MegP Ed]

    03 June 2015 - Sound tracks: acoustic landscapes in the past and present

    For the next two years, the British Library will be joining forces with archaeologists and sound artists from the University of York to investigate how sound has shaped the human experience in and around the Creswell Gorge area over the past 50,000 years. Creswell Crags, a series of small caves situated along a limestone gorge on the Derbyshire / Nottinghamshire border, is without doubt one of the most important early Prehistoric sites in Britain, demonstrating evidence of Neanderthal occupation, the oldest examples of Ice Age cave art and a more contemporary history of mining and quarrying activities. Using archaeology, palaeoecology, archival sound recordings, text and oral histories, Sound tracks will explore the sonic environment of the Creswell Crags landscape over time and create a series of auditory resources which will be of value to both the academic community and the wider public.

    Sound in archaeological interpretation is increasingly being recognised as an important resource but, for the most part, this is still restricted to the acoustics of individual structures. When the remit is broadened to take in the entire landscape however, things become much more exciting. By looking at both the structures themselves and the surrounding landscape, the ability to form a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between people and place over time is greatly enhanced.

    So what will we be doing over the course of this project? Here’s a quick breakdown of what we will be creating:

    1. Sound collages for the Creswell Crags Museum and Visitor Centre. These pieces will help listeners connect with conditions that would have been encountered and created by hunting and gathering communities who occupied the Creswell Gorge area during the late Pleistocene.

    2. Sound installations within the caves of Creswell Crags. These installations will use field recordings created during the project to explore different aspects of human occupation within the Gorge. Emphasis will be placed on the acoustic histories of caves, their role as shelter for different animals and their varied uses by people.

    3. Sound art events using original compositions within the Gorge, exploring long-term changes in the Creswell soundscape.

    4. An online legacy of content for all to access and use.

    Sound recordings held at the British Library will be heavily drawn upon when composing the sound collages representing the Late Pleistocene environment. Our content has already been used in this way for the pilot study Sonic horizons of the Mesolithic, which presented the rich acoustic ecologies of the North Yorkshire Star Carr archaeological site and the contribution of human activities to the soundscape of this area. Oral history testimonies held by the Creswell Heritage Trust will also be used to get a better sense of the industrial history of the Creswell Gorge landscape.

    In addition to archival material, new recordings will be generated during the early months of the project. These will include experimental recordings exploring the acoustic properties of the Creswell caves and their relation to the outside world. The re-enactment of ancient activities such as flint-knapping, bone working and butchery techniques will be recorded, as well as readings of antiquarian texts that in some way relate to the area.

    Dr Benjamin Elliot, research assistant for Sound tracks says:

    "This project is a fantastic opportunity to explore the vast potential of sound for articulating complex themes in the long-term history of a very special landscape. We are all massively excited by the prospect of getting stuck into the practical, intellectual and creative challenges that this project presents - and producing some innovative and stimulating m

    Read the rest of this post...
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    Star Carr: Sonic Horizons of the Mesolithic (2013) by Andy B on Wednesday, 26 April 2017
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    The Star Carr: Sonic Horizons of the Mesolithic project aims to explore the sound world of Mesolithic Britain, focussing on the famous Star Carr archaeological dig in North Yorkshire.

    Archeologist Ben Elliott and sound artist Jon Hughes were working as part of the Postglacial research project run by Professor Nicky Milner at the University of York. The aim is to build up an archive of sounds relating to life at Star Carr, which will be used in different ways.

    They were working with the Yorkshire Museum to provide sonic material for a year long exhibition relating to Star Carr which opened in May 2013.

    http://starcarrsonichorizons.tumblr.com and see also

    http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/sound-and-vision/2014/04/sonic-horizons-of-the-mesolithic-sounding-out-early-prehistory-in-the-vale-of-pickering.html

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Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Andy B on Tuesday, 05 April 2016
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A bone anvil and a large quartzite pebble from Creswell Crags both feature in this episode of Animal, Vegetable, Mineral from 1954.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p017gczq/animal-vegetable-mineral-28101954#group=p018818x
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Humans in Ancient Britain exhibition opens at Creswell Crags, running until 7th June by Andy B on Sunday, 15 March 2015
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Ancient treasures that reveal the story of Neanderthals and modern humans in the UK will be on show in Humans in Ancient Britain, a free exhibition running from 14 March to 7 June at Creswell Crags, UK.

Following the success of the recent blockbuster exhibition, Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story, the Natural History Museum has put together some of the most fascinating objects in this new, travelling exhibition.

The Museum’s human origins expert Prof Chris Stringer said, ‘There’s great symbolism in the regional tour starting at Creswell Crags, where archaeological digs show that it’s an area steeped in ancient human activity. Touring these objects will help academics and visitors consider how these communities once lived.’

Creswell Crags is part of one of Europe's most important archaeological landscapes. It contains caves that provided shelter for Neanderthal and anatomically modern people through a crucial period of human evolution between 130,000 and 10,000 years ago. Archaeological finds include flint and bone tools, and carvings, proving that Ice Age hunters visited the site to hunt reindeer and horse.

The Humans in Ancient Britain exhibition features some of the oldest human remains ever found in Britain – the Swanscombe skull, found in Kent is thought to be about 400,000 years old. Alongside this, objects illustrating the story of modern humans in Britain including an intricately carved 14,000-year-old harpoon point.

Creswell Crags will be running a series of events in connection with the exhibition including a survival-skills day on the 31st May and a lecture by Prof Chris Stringer on the 12th May.

Source: The Natural History Museum
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New Video: John Charlesworth: The Amazing Rock Art of Creswell Crags Caves by Andy B on Saturday, 02 March 2013
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Illustrated talk with HD images about Creswell Crags, showing the internationally important prehistoric rock art in the caves there. As seen at the Megalithic Portal Live event in the Peak District.

With John Charlesworth from Creswell Crags Museum and Visitor Centre. Followed by a question and answer session with Megalithic Portal members.







More videos from our live event in Birchover, Derbyshire are on our YouTube channel

Switch to 720p HD mode for the best image quality
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    Re: New Video: John Charlesworth: The Amazing Rock Art of Creswell Crags Caves by Anonymous on Saturday, 07 October 2017
    Hmmm...the late Dr Roger Jacobi who led excavations at the Crags 2006 onwards, always thought the ‘palaeolithic stag’ was infact an Iron Age goat...
    Also of note is the fact that the calcite samples taken from the cave wall for dating did not overlay this engraving as stated in the research teams publications.
    They do however ‘just’ overlay the series of vertical lines carved below the main image. Can it be proven the lines are contemporary with the stag/goat?
    Another point worth raising is whether the eye is the natural hole as suggested by team..if one looks closely an engraved eye can be seen, down and to the left of the natural hole. It appears to be in a far more anatomically correct position for an eye.
    It can be seen in some of the fine photos on this site quite clearly. Nice pics Drew...
    [ Reply to This ]

Ipswich Museum news by bat400 on Friday, 31 August 2012
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The Ipswich museum wants to transfer 10 palaeotlithic or Old Stone Age artefacts found at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire to the Creswell Trust - which has been documenting all the finds at the site.

Thanks to coldrum for the link.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-17342869
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Tours of Creswell caves for Festival of British Archaeology Sat 21 & Sun 22 July by Andy B on Wednesday, 18 July 2012
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County: Nottinghamshire

Sat 21 & Sun 22 July; 11.00-15.30

Explore Robin Hood, Church Hole and the rarely opened Pin Hole cave. Experience Creswell Crags through the eyes of the Ice Age people who visited the gorge, Victorian archaeologists and modern researchers. Note the tours are not free, there is an error in the Festival of British Archaeology listing. This package will replace the normal tour schedule.

[See more about the various caves in the Nearby Sites list above]

Location: Creswell Crags, Crags Road, Worksop.

Tel: 01909 720378
Email: info@creswell-crags.org.uk
Web: http://www.creswell-crags.org.uk

Part of the Festival of British Archaeology 2012
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Exhibition: Great Excavations at Creswell Crags, June 12 until winter 2010 by Andy B on Monday, 14 June 2010
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Creswell Crags, the limestone gorge on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, has for years offered up its secrets to archaeologists in search of evidence of the Ice Age inhabitants of its mysterious caves.

Perhaps most famous among these is Church Hole, which in 2003 yielded the only known Ice Age art in Britain. Further archaeological finds across the site date back between 10,000 and 50,000 years and include flint and bone tools and carvings, proving that Ice Age hunters visited the site to hunt reindeer and horse.

Now a new exhibition is charting the fascinating history of archaeological investigation that has taken place over the past 200 years at the Crags, focussing on the finds and artefacts as well as the Victorian archaeologists who began the process of looking for insights into the prehistoric tribes sheltering there thousands of years ago.

“We often focus on how the tools and techniques of archaeologists have changed over the years,” says Exhibitions officer at Creswell Crags, Anna Griffiths. “However, this exhibition shows how the aims and motives of the archaeologists have changed, and what a dramatic effect this has had.”

Source:
http://www.culture24.org.uk/history+%2526+heritage/archaeology/megaliths+and+prehistoric+archaeology/art79482
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Re: Frozen in time at Britain's new Ice Age centre by Anonymous on Friday, 05 March 2010
Visitor centre pretty good. Displays fairly small but interesting. However, the ochre horse carving is worth the admission alone. I spent over an hour staring at it and contemplating it's creator. It really transfixed me - the oldest multi-coloured art in Britain. The cave visits are special - a real must for all archaeo heads. The gorge is a lovely spot and has a dramatic and beautiful air to it. I really love this place.
Visit it soon - you won't be disappointed.

Phone them up if you want a cave tour as you generally have to book in advance (very popular and limited numbers). Wear boots.

Rock on
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Re: Frozen in time at Britain's new Ice Age centre by Anonymous on Thursday, 04 March 2010
Hey guys

Sorry to be a pain, but I noticed that in the 'info' bit at the top of this page it says that the Rock Art in Church Hole cave is not open to the public.
Just wanted to say that it very much IS open to the public, and tours operate on a weekend and just about everyday in school holidays :]

Again, sorry to be a pain. Just didn't want people missing out!

Bec (Volunteer at Creswell Crags)
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    Re: Frozen in time at Britain's new Ice Age centre by Andy B on Friday, 05 March 2010
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    I'm pleased to hear it's now open. I've updated the listing, thanks for your help.
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Frozen in time at Britain's new Ice Age centre by Andy B on Monday, 07 December 2009
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Spotted by coldrum in the Guardian:

With all eyes on the Natural History Museum's new Darwin Centre, Martin Wainwright enjoys a mammoth range of artefacts at the overlooked National Ice Age Centre.

A National Ice Age Centre? What could be better for a warm late summer weekend? For the first time in Britain, a visit to the shivering world of 13,000 years ago has become possible. Cool in every other sense, the new £7m complex at Cresswell Crags near Worksop was launched in June by Sir David Attenborough.

Light, bright and full of dagger-shaped teeth and mammoth bones, the centre overlooks a remarkable limestone gorge where Neanderthal man went hunting. Caves with names such as Robin Hood's Cavern and Church Hole pockmark cliffs above a mass of wildflower banks and a lake created by the Neanderthals' successors, the Dukes of Portland, to shoot ducks.
Ducks on the river at Cresswell Crags, Nottinghamshire Ducks on the river at Cresswell Crags. Photograph: David Sillitoe

The strange little landscape is part of the estate of Welbeck Abbey, a rambling (and still private) mansion famous for underground rooms created by the disfigured fifth duke, who could not bear to be seen. Local people have always known about it, and the mile-long circular walk between the cliffs is a favourite stroll. But it didn't hit the national headlines until 2003.

That year, a group of archaeologists found the oldest artwork in the country in three of the caves, delicate engravings of reindeer, bison and birds which had been overlooked in the chaos of crumpled stone which forms the roofs and walls. Even the artist George Stubbs, who stayed at Welbeck and set his famous painting of a horse and lion at the Crags, missed them. "Mind you, at the time the caves were being used as barns for the ducal cows," says one of the new centre's curators, Dr Rebecca Clay. "In fact some of them rubbed part of the bison away."

Wearing a miner's helmet, lamp – and if it's a school party, Ice Age-style sewn furs – Dr Clay tramps up the ladders leading guided tours to see the startling discoveries. The find gave fresh energy to a small but determined group of enthusiasts who tried to win World Heritage status for the gorge 20 years ago.

"They set us three conditions: to move a local sewage plant, divert a road and build a proper centre," she says. When Attenborough blessed the new centre, after examining its vicious-looking hyena skulls (the Ice Age version of the animal was nearly twice as big as today's), all three challenges had been met. A second application for World Heritage status is ready to go.


Half the centre is set aside for schools, and has all manner of ingenious ways to sneak archaeology into the national curriculum, in which it still has no official place. Using art, dance, history and natural sciences, the Ice Age team will battle on against unscholarly foes such as the new Hollywood blockbuster Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. "The Ice Age came after the twilight of the dinosaurs," says Becky. "But what we have to offer the kids instead is mammoths, lots of mammoths."

Scores of these mammoths stand on the shelves of the shop, fluffy, plastic, jigsaw, kits and all sizes. There's also an exceptional exhibition of real artefacts, including mammoth bones found in the caves but dispersed in Victorian times and now brought back to Creswell at last.

Dr Jill Cook, curator of European prehistory at the British Museum, admits to divided loyalties as she helped to put the final touches to the displays. "London has lost one particular national treasure: an incredible painted etching of a horse on a rib bone which was found here," she says. "But no one could resist the enthusiasm and energy of the team here. This is the right place for it to be seen."

Other exhibits include fossilised hyena poo, an almost certain hit with younger visitors, and a map which shows how Britain was solidly fi

Read the rest of this post...
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Re: New £4.5 million visitor centre opens at Creswell Crags by Anonymous on Friday, 15 May 2009
Glad to see it listed as being in Derbyshire - we are very proud of it.

A very special area. i hope they show the flints and tools they have found at the site.
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New £4.5 million visitor centre opens at Creswell Crags by Andy B on Thursday, 14 May 2009
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IT may have been around for millions of years, but Creswell Crags has often remained something of a mystery to generations of local people.
But all that has changed, thanks to a £14 million investment in the site to make it more visitor-friendly than it has ever been before.

Around £4.5 million of the cash has paid for a brand new on-site museum and education centre – a magnificent building created to help people to take a look at and even change their established view of pre-history in the UK.

And now, with the building work completed the move into the new premises has finally begun

Anticipating the event, site manager Nigel Mills had said that pre-history had always started with the Romans, taken a brief look at Stonehenge and that was about it.

"But at Creswell there's always been much more," he said.

"However, lack of investment and modernisation at the original visitor centre had severely limited its ability to live up to its reputation as one of Britain's top heritage sites."

Up to now, experts have agreed that Britain has long lacked a focal place where people from all over the world can learn about the Ice Age.

But not any more with the new heritage centre, which is operating in partnership with the British Museum, about to open its doors to the public.

"Over a period of time, the new museum will be displaying some of the most exciting Ice Age artefacts ever found locally," said the site's heritage officer Rebecca Clay.

"And our major partner, the British Museum, will be loaning other artefacts for display as part of a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions."

The first one features an animal rib engraved with a horse's head, which was discovered during the 1870s – the first example of Ice Age art ever found in Britain.

Staff at the centre are celebrating the spirit of the place by providing a range of activities. They say there is something for all ages at Creswell Crags as well as the ever popular cave tours."

The new building also houses education rooms and provides a venue for a series of lectures throughout the year.

Experts agree that the people who lived in the Creswell area all those years ago were remarkably sophisticated.

"They faced the same kinds of problems associated with environmental change as our generation does nowadays," said Rebecca.

Humans, as our generations have have understood them, first started living at Creswell 40 to 50 thousand years ago.

They were Neanderthals and they lived in dwellings which have since been given names by Victorian explorers such as Mother Gruddy's Parlour, Church Hole, Pin Hole and Robin Hood's Cave.

In recent times, facilites at the Crags have started to improve considerably.

Visitors strolling around the lake can read information boards, or follow the young traveller's tour.

The site and the many artefacts discovered in the area have reinforced the belief in the importance of the area.

http://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/news/New-45-million-visitor-centre.5244738.jp
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Historic Creswell Crags to get on-site museum by Andy B on Thursday, 14 May 2009
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Creswell Crags, the Iron Age haven of relics between the Peak District National Park and Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest, will become "one of Britain's top heritage sites" after organisers at the prehistoric Midlands base announced a £4.5 million on-site museum and heritage centre among £14 million of investment.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has provided more than £4 million for a new Ice Age centre, adding to £750,000 from the European Regional Development Fund and £800,000 pledged by the East Midlands Development Agency.

Heritage Officer Rebecca Clay told the Worksop Guardian the Crags would display "some of the most exciting Ice Age artefacts ever found locally," including an animal rib engraved with a horse's head which is believed to have been the first example of art from the period found in Britain when it was discovered almost 150 years ago.

Temporary exhibitions will include loans from The British Museum at the limestone gorge of caves, where stone tools and animal remains have evidenced life in the area from between 10,000 and 50,000 years ago, preserved by metal grills and improved by protective roofs, new steps and an interior viewing platform as part of a project which began ten years ago.

Sir David Attenborough will officially open the visitor centre on June 27 2009, alongside a "sound and light spectacular," book signings by archaeologists Paul Pettitt and Paul Bahn, carving workshops, a ritual totem burning and an ancient treasures roadshow.

Source:
http://www.culture24.org.uk/history/archaeology/megaliths+and+prehistoric+archaeology/art68455
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Funds Hope for Cresswell Crags by coldrum on Friday, 02 February 2007
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Funds Hope for Cresswell Crags

Notts County Council has agreed in principle to increasing its funding for Creswell Crags Heritage Trust.

The authority currently gives £38,000 to support one of Britain's most important archaeological and geological sites.

Over the past six years a £6m programme has been undertaken to improve facilities. The trust is bidding for money to develop a new visitor centre and museum to attract tourism.

The county has agreed to put up its yearly contribution by £14,000 from 2009/2010. But the increase is subject to the trust creating a sound business plan and the funds being available.

thisisnottingham.
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Re: Cave paintings reveal Ice Age artists by Anonymous on Wednesday, 14 December 2005
Great to hear of Creswell Crags being in Derbyshire. Those pesky lot in Nottinghamshire keep claiming it for themselves . . .
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Cave paintings reveal Ice Age artists by Anonymous on Wednesday, 14 December 2005
BRITAIN’S first cave art is more than 12,800 years old, scientific testing has shown. Engravings of a deer and other creatures at Creswell Crags, in Derbyshire, have proved to be genuine Ice Age creations, and not modern fakes, as some had feared.

The engravings were found in 2003 at two caves, Church Hole and Robin Hood’s Cave, which lie close together in the Creswell gorge. Palaeolithic occupation deposits dating to the last Ice Age were excavated there in 1875-76, but the art remained unnoticed. Although the most notable finds were from 15,000-13,000 years ago, even older tools were noted, some dating to the Middle Palaeolithic between 60,000 and 40,000 years ago, others a few millennia later.

If the art was genuine, therefore, it could belong to any of these periods, although Middle Palaeolithic art is still so rare as to be highly unlikely. There are no paintings like those at Lascaux and other noted French cave art sites — or, if there were, they have vanished. Many French sites, including Lascaux, have engravings also, and the Creswell art fits into this category. The red deer and the stylised figures, which may be schematic women (as at Gönnersdorf, near Cologne) or birds, fit into continental categories of art in the Magdalenian period, which ended about 10,000 years ago; there are also enigmatic “notches” and other signs which seem to be made by humans but which do not form coherent designs.

Alistair Pike, of Bristol University, and his colleagues have now shown that the Creswell art is genuine, by analysing the thin film of stalagmite called “flowstone” which has formed over the engravings since they were made. A process known as uranium-series disequilibrium dating, which relies on the relative insolubility of the radioactive element thorium-230 compared with uranium-234 and 238, can be used to date stalagmites back to around 500,000 years ago.

One piece of portable art, an engraved bone from Pin Hole Cave, seems to be from a species of woolly rhinoceros extinct since 20,000 years ago. However, a date between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago is the best fit with all the evidence. The discoveries are important in extending the known area of Magdalenian settlement considerably to the north and west, to the edge of the inhabited world then.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,61-1910329,00.html
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New road for Creswell Crags by Andy B on Thursday, 07 July 2005
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Work for a diversion road to help protect a limestone gorge which contains the country's oldest cave art has been given the go-ahead.
Derbyshire County Council and Lafarge Aggregates Ltd have agreed to fund the £1.2m scheme for Creswell Crags.

A section of the B6042 Crags Road - which runs close to the Ice Age cave system - will be replaced by a new 1km stretch of road 200m further north.

The old road will be turned into a bridleway for walkers and cyclists.

Councillor Brian Lucas, cabinet member for sustainable communities at the council, said: "The unique archaeological features at Creswell Crags date back between 10,000 and 50,000 years.

"We can't stress enough how important it is we preserve this site as best we can.

"And the new road will help protect the environment around the Crags by cutting down on traffic noise and pollution."

Source: BBC News
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