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Flints Halt Footy at Norwich City's Ground Norfolk

Submitted by PaulM on Friday, 04 July 2003  Page Views: 2560

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Flint tools which could date back 12,000 years from the Upper Palaeolithic era have been found at Norwich City’s Carrow Road ground in Norfolk and are delaying the building of a new stand, it is reported by the BBC, Channel 4 and EveningNews24.

The club said its initial study of the site suggested an archaeological dig would not been needed before building work started on the stand, which will increase capacity by 3,000 seats.

Andrew Cullen, the Canaries' director of sales and marketing, said planning regulations mean the club has no choice but to let the dig carry on, pushing back the timescale by four weeks.

He said: "It is disappointing financially as we have to bear the costs of the dig.

"And the loss at each game is about £80,000 to £90,000 per match by not having those extra seats available.

"We have to stress that we have accepted where we are and have a good working relationship with the archaeologists and their team, and at the end of the day will have a stand that the club and supporters will be proud of."

Archaeologists have found a sand island surrounded by peat which extends under the riverside ground.

David Adams, project manager from Norfolk Archaeological Unit, said the clusters of flint tools found in this area were left by Mesolithic people from around 10,000 years ago, but experts said they could be 12,000 years old, from 10,000BC.

The tools were left by nomadic hunter-gatherers who would have used them for catching prey in the river valley such as reindeer when this glacial period was cold and harsh.

Mr Adams said the discoveries were rare, adding: "It's a very exciting find. It's older than we were hoping to find. Within Norfolk it is certainly very important and will probably be of national interest."

The archaeologists stressed their six-week dig would be finishing two weeks ahead of schedule.

For the stories visit Channel 4, BBC on-line and EveningNews24.

Note: Update - archaeologists say they are not responsible for delays costing £360,000. See comment below.
Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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"Flints Halt Footy at Norwich City's Ground" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Re: Flints Halt Footy at Norwich City's Ground by Vicky on Friday, 04 July 2003
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NEWS

From EveningNews24, Norfolk, July 4, 2003:

We're not to blame for South Stand delay

Archaeologists behind a dig which has cost Norwich City FC more than £630,000 in bills and lost revenue today said they were not to blame for the club having to shelve part of its South Stand plans.

As reported in Tuesday's Evening News, the Canaries have been forced to leave the planned infill between the new South Stand and the Norwich and Peterborough Stand unfinished because of the unforeseen costs.

The dig by the Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service cost the club £130,000 alone, with lost revenue expected to reach £500,000 because the delay means home fans will not be able to take their seats in the new structure before February next year.

The club never budgeted for the six-week dig, as initial studies suggested there would be nothing of interest beneath the ageing stand.

But Brian Ayers, archaeology and environment officer, today said there was always a chance that artefacts would be found there, such as the 10,000-year-old tools which were uncovered.

"The likelihood of significant archaeological deposits at the site has been known since 2001 and trial excavations in 2002 demonstrated that these deposits existed," he said.
"It is national policy and best practice for new developments to ensure that archaeological works are built into construction programmes.

"At Carrow Road, the dig was programmed to take eight weeks. It is actually being completed in six weeks so the discoveries are not delaying the works."

And he said his team was conscious of how much the new stand meant to the football club and its supporters.
"We are well aware of the importance of the new stand to both the club and the people of Norwich and we have worked closely with the building contractor and Norwich City to complete the works quickly."
Neil Doncaster, chief executive of Norwich City, has long maintained the club had built a good relationship with archaeologists and did not blame them for the complications.

"Initial studies told us a dig would not have to take place," he said. "The discovery of the tools has also not affected the plans. It's one of those things."

Until the club finds itself on a firmer financial footing, the top tier of the infill will remain unfinished.

It means the capacity of the Carrow Road ground will be just 24,500 instead of the 26,000 hoped for once work is finished.

Mr Doncaster has said the delay will not affect manager Nigel Worthington's ability to deal in the transfer market this summer.
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Re: Flints Halt Footy by Vicky on Friday, 27 June 2003
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From Norfolk Now 27/06/03:

Archaeologists working on Norwich City's South Stand redevelopment have found new evidence that the site was inhabited more than 12,000 years ago – at least 2000 years earlier than first thought.

When several flint spanners were dug up they were found to belong to the Mesolithic era and were thought to be evidence of some of Norwich's first residents hunting and fishing on a small sand island in the middle of the River Wensum.

But in the last few days, archaeologists have made even more remarkable discoveries of flint tools dating back to the Palaeolithic era and believe it to be the first time material from the age has ever been excavated in the greater Norwich area.

The Mesolithic period literally means the middle stone age and goes back to 10,000 BC, while the Palaeolithic period, meaning old stone age, goes back even further, up to three million years ago.

Brian Ayers, county archaeologist with the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service, said the finds were "marvellous".

"We thought they were going to be Mesolithic age but in fact they are from 10,000 BC and the Palaeolithic age," he said.

"Finds like these are pretty rare and the marvellous thing is they are being excavated under modern methods."
Mr Ayers said the finds added weight to the theory that primitive man hunted and fished on an island in the Wensum and described the weapons they used.

"It was a very good place for people to stay and hunt and they could hide amongst the reeds so they could stalk wildlife and other mammals," he said.

"It would be much more difficult for the animals to run away than if they were hunting in open fields.

"They are really large chunky flints which are quite primitive and very sharp.

"We've got evidence of actual activity that the people took flint there and fashioned tools from it.

"These finds are a good indication of the fact we've got a great modern city with a medieval city underneath and before that it was a rural landscape where people hunted and fished."

Archaeologists have been working at Carrow Road since the end of April as contractors wait to begin work on the club's new 8000 seater stand.

Fortunately for the football club, the new finds will not delay the archaeology unit and their work will be finished on schedule by July 4.
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