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No.93 May 2006

Monthly Newsletter

Haigh Dog Kennel Revealed

In October 2004 (Newsletter No.77) I reported on the remains of a mysterious structure in the grounds of Haigh Hall (or plantations as we know them locally). The mystery has now been resolved with a letter from a Mr J Smith from Fife in Scotland, who has sent me some photographs of the structure before it was demolished. He says he took these photos in 1968 so the remains are much younger than they appear. Having played many times as a boy in the plantations before that date, I can honestly say I never came across it (although it must be said it is a bit off the beaten track). 

Looking at the photographs it seems obvious now how the building would have operated as a kennel. It wasn't at all clear on the ground, but the photographs clearly show that the internal area was divided to match the outer area (obviously this was to keep the dogs separated from each other - or in separate teams). Each internal quadrant may also have had a pitched roof, which is possibly just visible if you look closely. This could also explain the iron pipes we noticed coming up from the floor, which seem likely to be the drains. 

Mr Smith has also received a letter from a Mrs Bradbury, who now lives in Australia, which may confirm its use as a dog kennel. She wrote after seeing an article about it in Past Forward (No.37 Autumn 2004). In the letter she recalls her mother, who was brought up in Aspull, telling them about visiting a relative who was the kennel keeper for the Earl of Crawford. She also related how well the dogs had been trained (presumably for hunting) but unfortunately, she doesn't say what type of dogs they were. The actual date of the kennel could well be pre-Victorian as it appears on the 6" OS map of 1849. There is just one small point, which I can't resolve, which is that there only seems to be one entrance, however I may have missed the others or perhaps they have been destroyed (something to look for on a future visit).

Website Changes

You may have noticed that Adrian Morris has revamped our society website, making it much easier to use and also simpler to update. Adrian has done a great job over the last few years keeping the website up to date and making various additions from time to time. This site has thus attracted much attention from far and wide and I would like to than him on behalf of the society for his efforts. Regretfully, as mentioned at last month's meeting, Adrian has decided to leave our group, but I'm sure we all wish him well and thank him for the huge contribution he has made over the years. I'm sure we all hope he will return sometime in the future.

Summer Trip

Sunday 13th August to Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall (and we should also have time to visit a section of the Wall itself on the way back). We haven't worked a price out yet; it will depend on numbers, but the entrance price is £5 and I'm guessing the over all cost should not be more than £20 (half price for children). If you want to go on the trip, please fill in the enclosed form. Vindolanda is a site that is constantly developing with new discoveries being made every year. Last year a huge timber building was discovered at least 40 metres long, with oak posts measuring 66 x 43cms. Also a section of fallen fort wall was found, still mortared together, 30 metres long and heeled over due to very poor foundations. Below this were the well-preserved remains of two very fine turf ramparts - one with the turf layered horizontally and timber strapping, and the other with turf piled up in random fashion. More discoveries await this year. If you want to learn more, their website is www.vindolanda.com

Next WAS Meeting

Wednesday 3rd May at the District Scout HQ (Baden Powell Centre) in Greenough Street, starting at 7.30 pm as usual. Our speaker this month is Zosia Archibald, from Liverpool University who will be talking about the famous Greek sculptor Pheidias. For those who don't know (and I must admit I wasn't sure) he is the one who is responsible for the construction of the Parthenon. Many people consider him to be the Leonardo Da Vinci of his day.
Hope to see you there. B.A.