Newcastle University’s Professor of Archaeology, Sam Turner, gave a fascinating talk to members and guests of the Black Down & Hindhead Supporters on 4th June. Recent excavations, funded by the Supporters, revealed the presence of an Iron Age fort / settlement on Castle Copse, a recently acquired part of the National Trust’s Black Down estate. It was also funds from the Black Down and Hindhead Supporters that paid for clearance of the forest of invasive rhododendrons on the site, revealing the shape of the historic features that have sat quietly at Castle Copse for over two thousand years.
Prof Turner explained the background to the novel, optically-stimulated luminescence profiling and dating technology which has revolutionised the dating of ancient earthworks. The new find at Castle Copse completes a run of Iron Age forts/ settlements on local high profile promontories at Hammer Wood, Castle Copse, Hascombe Camp, Anstibury and Holmbury.
Aside from the highlight of this archaeological investigation, it was the the Black Down and Hindhead Supporters’ AGM and members were given a brief update on the work of the committee over the past year and some of the projects that have been supported on local National Trust reserves around Haslemere. Thirteen more ponies are now conservation grazing the Punchbowl; Grayshott’s pond is repaired; watervoles are about to be re-introduced to the Wey locally and the Black Down beaver enclosure continues to develop into a wonderful wetland habitat.
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