Work gets underway to save AONB's 'Legacies on the Landscape'
After more than a month's delay because of snowy winter weather and record freezing temperatures, work is now getting underway to protect four of the North Pennines' most iconic structures.
Centuries of icy weather have taken their toll on Shildon Engine House near Blanchland and Ninebanks Tower in Northumberland, Muggleswick Grange in County Durham and the remains of Whitesyke and Bentyfield Lead Mines near Alston, Cumbria. All four are Scheduled Ancient Monuments and three are also listed buildings. Once completed, the project will see all four sites removed from English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register.
Now as part of the North Pennines AONB Partnership's Living North Pennines project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), contractors are on site at Shildon and Muggleswick to make a start on the consolidation of two of the four buildings so that visitors can get a flavour of the times they were built in – and the people who built them.
Ancestors down the ages
Jon Charlton of the AONB Partnership said: "These buildings taken together really tell the story of the North Pennines, how our ancestors down the ages lived and worked in the area. Over time they would have crumbled and disappeared completely; we want to protect what remains so that we and future generations can see these legacies in the landscape of what it was like to live those past lives. We are extremely proud to be working with the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage to help the building owners save these irreplaceable pieces of heritage."
New insights
And while the work is going on by specialist contractors Historic Property Restoration Ltd to clear the sites of vegetation and consolidate unstable sections of stonework, archaeologists are expecting to uncover some fascinating new insights into the ways the buildings were used and their significance in the wider context.
Paul Frodsham, Historic Environment Officer with the AONB Partnership said: "The North Pennines landscape is renowned for its lead mining heritage, and while the remnants of the lead industry are important, the AONB's historic environment consists of much, much more. The 13th Century remains of Muggleswick Grange, for example, are a really important historical link between the North Pennines and Durham Cathedral. Archaeological investigations are being undertaken in association with consolidation work at Shildon, Muggleswick, Ninebanks and Whitesyke, and this will add substantially to our understanding of North Pennines history."
Skills training
As the consolidation work progresses, there will be week-long opportunities for local people to train in the traditional skill of lime mortar pointing, now used extensively in the conservation of historic buildings. And for people with a more general interest, there'll be introductory 'taster days' where members of the public can find out more about the history of the structures and try their hand at specialist building skills.
For more information on the four sites, click on Places to Live, Places to Work below.
