Site Name
(A/D) |
Site Type |
Country
(A/D) |
County/ Region |
Visited?
(A/D) |
Date
(A/D) |
Cond |
Amb |
Acc |
Comments |
Trip Number
(A/D) |
Trip Order |
| Mill Knock Settlement (Birtley) |
Ancient Village or Settlement |
England |
Northumberland |
Visited |
7th Jan 2018 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
Mill Knock Enclosure, Birtley: We didn't realise this settlement was here until we pulled up at the quarry entrance and I studied the OS map more closely. At first, it looked like just outcrops of limestone rock, but as I walked up the gentle slope, the outer banks and ditches became more obvious.
The northern part of the enclosure looked as if it had been used for small scale limestone quarrying, although the outer bank and ditches were rela...Mill Knock Enclosure, Birtley: We didn't realise this settlement was here until we pulled up at the quarry entrance and I studied the OS map more closely. At first, it looked like just outcrops of limestone rock, but as I walked up the gentle slope, the outer banks and ditches became more obvious.
The northern part of the enclosure looked as if it had been used for small scale limestone quarrying, although the outer bank and ditches were relatively in tact.
The Holywell Burn runs past the eastern side of the enclosure - just a waterlogged ditch lined by reeds at this point. The eastern side of the site looks as if it had been ploughed or quarried away.
With all the rock outcrops in the area I spent some time looking for cup marks, but found none.
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63 |
1 |
| Mill Knock Chalybeate Well (Birtley) |
Holy Well or Sacred Spring |
England |
Northumberland |
Visited |
7th Jan 2018 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Mill Knock Holy Well: The skies may have been blue and tempting to put on walking boots, but the temperatures were just on freezing and the minor roads around here were just like skating rinks! This well is not marked on the map, but my husband had come across an article on it, and being not too far from our house, decided to drive out to visit.
This is a glorious location (well, if you ignore the quarry). Access into the well field is a bit...Mill Knock Holy Well: The skies may have been blue and tempting to put on walking boots, but the temperatures were just on freezing and the minor roads around here were just like skating rinks! This well is not marked on the map, but my husband had come across an article on it, and being not too far from our house, decided to drive out to visit.
This is a glorious location (well, if you ignore the quarry). Access into the well field is a bit tricky, as there is no gate near the gorge formed by the gushing spring, but a bit of wooden fence allowed us to hop over to get a closer look.
On the eastern side of the road, the Holywell Burn is just a trickle - like a shallow ditch, but crossing the single track road and looking west over the stone wall, there is a strong gush of clear water which comes tumbling out of the hillside.
From a distance, it looks as if the water comes directly from the face of the large stone which is visible at the head of the gorge, but in fact the water is channelled from the stone wall past the western face of the stone.
Whilst I was waiting at the wooden fence for my husband to do a 'reccy' of the field to see if it was safe to go and look, I glanced down at my feet and what looked like narrow, but well worn rings, shone up at me from a portable stone that looked like it had fallen out of the wall. I photographed it, but am not convinced. However, for a moment, it did look like a new rock art discovery and I was quite excited!
This is another complex landscape, but mixed with lots of rock outcrops, so it was difficult to comprehend exactly what we were seeing until we came back home and looked up the official records on Pastscape (HE had nothing). A site to revisit during warmer weather.
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63 |
2 |
| Carry House Enclosure (Birtley Shields) |
Ancient Village or Settlement |
England |
Northumberland |
Visited |
7th Jan 2018 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
Carry House Settlement, Birtley Shields: Cut by two stone walls and ploughed away at its northern end, but this was a stunning spot, tucked below a hill and with a steep slope down to the River North Tyne Valley below.
In the distance I could hear the farmer on his tractor running animal feed to his Blackies. I said to my husband, "He's going to come over." Five minutes later he drove up on his quad bike and engaged us in conversation, te...Carry House Settlement, Birtley Shields: Cut by two stone walls and ploughed away at its northern end, but this was a stunning spot, tucked below a hill and with a steep slope down to the River North Tyne Valley below.
In the distance I could hear the farmer on his tractor running animal feed to his Blackies. I said to my husband, "He's going to come over." Five minutes later he drove up on his quad bike and engaged us in conversation, telling how this block of land belonged to the Duke of Northumberland "who didn't like visitors and didn't want them taking photographs" ("What, even though its marked on the OS map and its next to a public highway? Why are there no notices telling us this?" I think he was just winding me up!). Anyway, he was very pleasant and told us about his farm and a brief history of the area.
As the farmer was around, we stuck to walking up to the wall and along the track to take photographs. Shame, as I would have nipped through the gate to look for the cairn.
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63 |
3 |
| Piper Lane Standing Stone (Birtley) |
Standing Stone (Menhir) |
England |
Northumberland |
Visited |
7th Jan 2018 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
Piper Lane Stone, Birtley Shields: Spotted this on the way back from Birtley Shields, standing in the middle of the field. There was no easy access into the field and the ground was waterlogged, so passed up on climbing over the stone wall to get a closer look.
It's location is intriguing, as it stands north of the cultivation terraces marked on the OS maps. There are no other rubbing stones in the surrounding fields. Couldn't find anything...Piper Lane Stone, Birtley Shields: Spotted this on the way back from Birtley Shields, standing in the middle of the field. There was no easy access into the field and the ground was waterlogged, so passed up on climbing over the stone wall to get a closer look.
It's location is intriguing, as it stands north of the cultivation terraces marked on the OS maps. There are no other rubbing stones in the surrounding fields. Couldn't find anything about it on Pastscape, HE or by doing a general web search.
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63 |
4 |
