Every year since 2019, a motley crew of students and local history enthusiasts has descended upon Wollaton Hall for a series of archaeological training excavations. They can be easily spotted about the grounds: a happy-looking crowd clad in mud stained high-vis, gleefully digging away or enthusiastically explaining themselves to curious park-patrons. These digs are run by Laura Parker and Tristan Cousins, community archaeologists from York Archaeology, who I met to talk about the project…
Now famous as Batman’s Wayne Manor, Wollaton Hall has existed as one of Nottingham’s most stunning locations for 450 years. As we arrived one cold morning in May we were greeted by the striking image of the Elizabethan hall proudly perched atop its hill overlooking the surrounding park. The deer were already up, and we passed a menagerie of joggers, dog walkers and staff, as well as one elderly gentleman performing what I can only assume was some sort of well-practised yoga pose. Despite this modern-day serenity however, my guides assured me the site has a long history hidden beneath its leafy-surface.
So, what’s the history of the Park and Hall?
Laura: In mediaeval times, this area was farmland for three villages, since lost to modern development. It became a deer park in 1492, and the Hall was built by Francis Willoughby and architect Robert Smithson in 1588. The hall at this time was surrounded by simple but grand formal gardens and a series of outbuildings. In the mid-17th century, Francis’ great-grandchildren inherited the estate and they made large alterations. Great-granddaughter Cassandra was the driving force behind this, spending 25 years restoring the site after a period of neglect, writing family histories and travelling Europe, being her own boss and doing her own thing - not very common for women in the 17th Century! They even commissioned a series of paintings by Jan Siberechts in the 1690s, to show the new grand gardens.
The 18th century saw vast changes in garden design and fashions across the country, Wollaton was no different. The lake was created, a number of outbuildings were constructed and the surrounding landscape was ‘naturalised’ through the planting of thousands of trees, forming copses and woody knolls. None of what you see today is natural, it is all a cleverly planned and controlled landscape, designed 250 years ago.
Further changes took place in the 19th century, but by the 1920s the estate was sold to the Nottingham Corporation, basically the council, and parts of it were sold off for a housing estate and golf course. From 1940 to the 1950s, parts of the park were used for military purposes, first to accommodate US troops, then German Prisoners of War. So the site is a mixed bag of archaeology!
We are looking for evidence of these early garden designs, but also for a building called an Orangery. We see the building on 17th Century paintings, so we thought it would be a nice easy target, however it’s taken us four years to find it!
Why are you digging in the formal garden?
Tristan: We are looking for evidence of these early garden designs, but also for a building called an Orangery. We see the building on 17th Century paintings, so we thought it would be a nice easy target, however it’s taken us four years to find it!
What would the orangery have looked like?
Tristan: Basically a large conservatory-type structure for growing citrus fruits, with at least one side consisting entirely of windows. Orangeries would normally have had a heating system, and would face south or south-west to make the most of the sunlight. Ours seemed to have had some kind of ornate decoration along the top, however the paintings show the gardens from the east, so we are missing a lot of the detail.
What do you actually do ‘on-site’?
Laura: We teach our trainees how to excavate and record everything they find, alongside more specialist skills, such as artefact identification, using drones and GPS to survey what we find. We have also been investigating the wider park to find any other interesting features and changes to the landscape using maps and historical documents and physically walking through the park. We want to show our trainees that archaeology is not just about digging!
What have you found so far?
Laura: Hopefully the Orangery!
We randomly started finding lumps of quartz, pieces of coral and shell stuck into beds of mortar, which possibly could have decorated the walls of a grotto
Tristan: For the past few seasons we were finding small sections of structural remains and ditches from which masonry had been removed or 'robbed'. But last year we uncovered the corner foundations of a sizable structure, comprised of stone blocks, clearly supporting something. So, this year we are revisiting this area to uncover more of these foundations.
Laura: We’ve also found other garden features, possible plant beds for topiary, pathways, and the possible evidence for a grotto. We randomly started finding lumps of quartz, pieces of coral and shell stuck into beds of mortar, which possibly could have decorated the walls of a grotto (an artificial cave or folly), possibly dating to the 17th century. So that was quite interesting! Alongside a lot of pottery fragments from over the past 400 years.
Why dig this stuff? What’s the point of it all?
Laura: To train the next generation of archaeologists! It’s the perfect site to show trainees a mix of techniques that we as the professionals use in our day-to-day jobs, and to give them that sense of pride when they find something that hasn’t been seen in such a long time. This is a real dig with real archaeology, we don’t plant things for people to find, their discoveries are just that, theirs!
Tristan: But it’s also about revealing more of the park’s history to the public, and not just telling them, but showing them. Allowing them to handle the artefacts and be involved in the process of uncovering the past - its people, its design, the wealth of those who paid for such structures but also understanding the people that physically built them. Hopefully we can give local people and visitors a sense of ownership over their heritage and give them a new perspective on Wollaton Park. It’s also amazing to see it revealed for the first time in centuries.
Laura: As someone born and bred in Nottingham, finding out more about the places I visited often as a kid is so important and I feel that I’m seeing Wollaton Park with fresh eyes and a new understanding every time we dig!
How can people get involved?
Laura: People can book onto this summer’s training dig by visiting our website. We can also host small groups for tours of the site, so just get in contact for more information!
If the idea of digging into a bit of local history piques your interest, why not check out the variety of training digs York Archaeology offer for the general public at community.yorkarchaeology.co.uk
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