Last season of excavation at medieval manor house in Widecombe
This summer, Dartmoor archaeologists and local volunteers will be returning for a final time to carry out an excavation on the site of North Hall Manor in Widecombe-in-the-Moor. The dig will commence on Monday 9 July until Saturday 21 July 2018.Excavations since 2012 have revealed wall footings, boundary works and pottery, suggesting the presence of a high status medieval building and one of only a handful of moated medieval manor houses in Devon.The excavation will be carried by Marc Steinmetzer of Oakford Archaeology, and is part of a wider community project which will train volunteers in heritage skills, provide work experience for local students and tell the story of medieval Widecombe through a programme of fieldtrips, school visits, guided walks and talks.Visitors are invited to the excavation open day on Saturday 21 July, 10:30 – 16:00, where there will be tours, living history displays and the opportunity to learn more about this intriguing site.The excavation is being funded by the Moor than meets the eye scheme and led by Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA). DNPA archaeologist Andy Crabb explains: ‘The North Hall dig is a true community project, with locals and visitors alike joining in to find out more about this wonderful site and help tell the story of this community. The archaeology is proving fascinating and it is great to see the remains of the past emerge as a result of the hard work undertaken by our fantastic volunteers.’For more information, please visit www.moorthanmeetstheeye.org Notes For more information please contact Emma Stockley, emma@moorthanmeetstheeye.org01822 890 90407749 855 373 The Moor than meets the eye Landscape Partnership is helping people to discover the Dartmoor Story; a landscape forged by nature and shaped by people from prehistoric times to today. It is bringing people together to explore Dartmoor’s past, conserve its wildlife and archaeology, improve understanding of the landscape and share and develop the skills to look after it for generations to come.The Moor than meets the eye Landscape Partnership Scheme has received funding of £1.9 million from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and is now in the 3rd of 5 years.The organisations that form the partnership are: Dartmoor National Park, Dartmoor Farmers’ Association, Dartmoor Preservation Association, Dartmoor Commoners’ Council, Devon County Council, Duchy of Cornwall, Historic England, Forestry Commission, Natural England, South West Lakes Trust, RSPB, Visit Dartmoor and the Woodland Trust.The Moor than meets the eye Landscape Partnership area covers 280 sq km of central and south east Dartmoor and is one of the UK’s finest examples of a palimpsest – a landscape on which layer upon layer of human activity has left a mark. Its unique character has been shaped over millennia ensuring that people and place are intrinsically linked.More information about the general scheme and other projects is available from Andy Bailey Community Officer Moor than meets the eye 01822 890903 / andy@moorthanmeetstheeye.org or visit the website www.moorthanmeetstheeye.org