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Manchester's Mellor Hillfort opens its doors

Submitted by PaulM on Tuesday, 31 August 2004  Page Views: 2775

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Mellor Hillfort
Mellor Hillfort submitted by PaulM : The one third-scale constructed round house at the Mellor Iron Age hillfort site. Students from the nearby college built the structure which as it turns could well be located close to the location of the original round houses. (Vote or comment on this photo)
In what is fast becoming the highlight of the archaeological year in the NW of England, the Mellor Iron Age hillfort excavations are open to the public this coming weekend (September 4 and 5). One of the special exhibits of the open days this year will be a 4,000 year old flint dagger.

Building on the excavation successes of previous years the 2004 work will be looking to uncover more of the ditches exposed in previous years as well as looking to find more roundhouses.

In 2003 visitors to the open day were treated to lessons in geophysical exploration techniques, metal detection, dowsing and the scale reconstruction of the roundhouse.

The opening hours for the event are 11.00 am and 4.00 pm on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th September. The entry fee is £3.00 for adults and 50p for children will be charged with all proceeds in aid of the Mellor Archaeological Trust.

Note: For all those interested in archaeology and prehistory in the NW this is a must visit event.
Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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"Manchester's Mellor Hillfort opens its doors" | Login/Create an Account | 4 News and Comments
  
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Re: Manchester's Mellor Hillfort opens its doors by Anonymous on Tuesday, 07 September 2004
We visited Sunday 5th Sept as a family day out and it was one of the best days we have had. Our seven year old was 'allowed to do some real archaeological digging' and 'found' some pottery, clay pipes etc which she then took to be washed and documented. We all had a great day out. It was well organised and well presented, educational and fun at the same time. We would recommend it to all ages.
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From the Stockport Express by PaulM on Wednesday, 01 September 2004
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Buried treasure

JOHN Roberts, senior archaeologist with the University of Manchester with the dagger.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Mellor have stumbled upon a magnificent find during their annual summer excavation.

The discovery of a rare flint dagger, which dates back 4,000 years to the Bronze Age, has been unearthed at the site of an ancient Roman Hill Fort surrounding Mellor Church.

Ann Hearle from the Mellor Archaeological Trust said: "It’s a spectacular find, it’s a beauty.

"It’s an amazing find as it’s beautifully made and in perfect condition. It’s absolutely superb, the archaeologists are ecstatic."

The dagger, at five-and-a-half inches long and two inches wide is one of the very few ever found.

"Anyone with an archaeologist background is just absolutely amazed, they just swoon over it. It fills in another gap as we did not have much from the bronze age, all we need now is something from the dark age," says Ann, a local historian.

Peter Noble, the supervising archaeologist who found the dagger, said: "You only get one find like this in a lifetime as an archaeologist."

Since the site’s confirmed discovery in 1998, artefacts dating back to the Mesolithic period – over 10,000 years – and the Bronze Age have been found at the plot which spreads across the Old Vicarage, St Thomas’ Church and adjacent fields, an expanse of nearly six acres.

Currently funded by a Heritage Lottery grant, the recent finds at the site also include a drip galley of an Iron Age roundhouse, Roman pottery, and Mesolithic flints.

The dagger will now be part of a display when the site is once again opened up to the public during the trust’s annual open days.

They take place on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm. Entry is £3 for adults and 50p for children.

Manchester University archaeologist John Roberts said: "This dagger is an astonishing piece. I have worked on sites all over the country for 18 years and I have never seen anything so beautiful.

"It gave me goose-bumps on the back of my neck when it was found. Daggers like this have been found in the region before, but they are very rare, especially in this condition. Everyone is thrilled to bits."
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Re: Manchester's Mellor Hillfort opens its doors by PaulM on Tuesday, 31 August 2004
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Green patch was clue to ancient terror - Manchester On-line

A LINE of verdant green in a drought-parched garden prompted a major dig by archaeologists which has just yielded an amazing historical treasure.

A perfectly-preserved 4,000-year-old flint dagger unearthed at the dig in Mellor, Stockport, is being hailed as one of the most significant finds of its type in the region.

The find is even more remarkable as the archaeological site that had been buried for thousands of years was only discovered by chance.

Evidence of the hidden site was spotted because it happened to emerge in the garden of amateur historian Anne Hearle during the long, dry summer of 1995, one of the hottest summers in the past 10 years.

She noticed that while most of the grass was so dry it had turned brown, there was a strip next to her vegetable patch that had stayed green.

The patch was found to be above a ditch that had retained some moisture, and an examination of the area later revealed that Anne had discovered the remains of an Iron Age fort.

The find was so important that the Heritage Lottery Fund and Stockport council provided money for excavations to begin in 1998. Volunteers have since raised thousands of pounds to unlock more of the site's secrets.

But the 12cm long flint dagger dug from the mud by Peter Noble has exceeded all expectations.

Manchester University archaeologist John Roberts said: "This dagger is an astonishing piece. I have worked on sites all over the country for 18 years and I have never seen anything so beautiful.

"It gave me goose-bumps on the back of my neck when it was found.

"Daggers like this have been found in the region before, but they are very rare, especially in this condition. Everyone is thrilled to bits."

It's thought the dagger may have been included in a burial chamber on the site.

Volunteers from the Mellor Archaeological Trust have been working at the site alongside professionals from Manchester University for six years. Artefacts from the Stone and Bronze Ages, an Iron Age pot, and items left from the Roman period have been uncovered.

Historians say the finds prove the site has been occupied for 10,000 years.

Experts had long suspected that there was an important site near Mellor church, on the hill above Mellor village, but were unable to find it until Anne Hearle's chance discovery.

Mrs Hearle said: "The Iron Age ditch was found next to my vegetable patch and it's now one of the most important archaeological sites in north west England.

"The dagger was found in the field next to my garden. When it was found there was real excitement, everyone is bowled over."

The dagger and other artefacts discovered in the Mellor archaeological dig will be on display at an open day at the site on September 4 and 5.
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    Re: Manchester's Mellor Hillfort opens its doors by Anonymous on Wednesday, 01 September 2004
    My name is James Balme, archaeologist and presenter.
    A very interesting story, however maybe not as rare as stated in the write up. I have recently discovered a the site of a possible Neolithic encampment in the Lymm area of Cheshire and following three hours of field walking I have recovered 14 worked flint artefacts including scrapers, arrowheads and blades as well as many pieces of debotage.

    This will be highlighted in the press later in the year.
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