Newsletter
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The 13th Annual General Meeting
This took place on 7th May at Central Library. Vice-President Daisy
Hill presided with charm and friendliness and 72 members attended.
This was the largest attendance at an AGM since the society was
founded. Its size underlines an important point from Mr Brian Jarman's
annual report -- that HADAS membership rose to 234 in 1973-4, an
increase of 60 on the previous year and a record for the Society.
The retiring treasurer, Mr Richard Deacon, also had a healthy
situation to report. The Society's credit balance is up by more than
£120 on that of 1972-3 -- a comforting thought at the moment when costs
are leap-frogging and HADAS commitments increasing. Mr Deacon
particularly thanked his fund-raising committee, which had organised a
highly successful Christmas party followed by an even more financially
successful Minimart.
The highlights of the year, as Mr Sammes mentioned in his
Research Committee Report, were the Church Terrace excavation and the
Archaeology in the Borough Exhibition; both he and Mr Jarman mentioned
also the continuing work done by members on many other projects which
form the solid background of the Society's research and endeavour.
After business was over, members enjoyed coffee (thanks to good
the staff-work by Elizabeth Holiday and Dorothy Newbury and
co-operation from the Library) and three short talks, with excellent
slides, given by Daphne Lorimer (on Skara Brae), Ted Sammes (on his
recent visit to Turkey) and Eric Wookey (on some splendid Doric temples
in Sicily and Greece).
The Officers and Committee elected for 1974-5 are:
Chairman
| - Mr. Brian Jarman
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Vice-Chairman
| - Mr. Edward Sammes
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Hon. Secretary
| - Mrs. Brigid Grafton Green
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Hon. Treasurer
| - Mr. Jeremy Clynes
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Committee:
| Mrs. Christine Arnott
| Mrs. Dorothy Newbury
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| Mr. Michael Bird
| Mrs. Nell Penny
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| Mr. G. M. T. Corlet
| Miss Ann Trewick
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| Mr. John Enderby
| Miss Joanna Wade
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| Mr. Eric Grant
| Mrs. Freda Wilkinson
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| Miss Elizabeth Holliday
| Mr. E. E. Wookey
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| Mrs. Daphne Lorimer
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June Outing
On Saturday, June 15th, Ted Sammes will be taking our members to Bath for the second summer outing.
A full day is planned, with visits to the Abbey, the Pump Room,
the Roman Baths, the Museum of Costume and the Assembly Rooms, where we
will have tea.
If you would like to come, please use the enclosed application
form as soon as possible. (Anyone who has already booked verbally is
asked to confirm their booking, with remittance.)
The May outing was heavily overbooked, and our Programme
Secretary, Dorothy Newbury, had to open a reserve list. She therefore
reminds members that only the first 51 members to apply for Bath can be
accommodated. Any member who wishes to bring a husband/wife/friend who
is not a member may do so; but any non-members, unaccompanied by a
member, will be able to book only after all members have been fitted
in.
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And, looking ahead, don't forget these dates for the future:
Saturday 13th July – Danebury hill-fort and Rockbourne Roman villa
Saturday 14th Sept – Compton Wyngates and Wormleighton Deserted Medieval village.
Unusual Pillar Boxes
Notes from Paul Carter.
In the January 1973 newsletter (No. 23) William Morris commented
on an unusual pillar box in Golders Green Road, NW11, near the junction
with the Ridings. Although the early type your "Anonymous" which he
described is uncommon, there is a later type, with a lower posting
slot, introduced between 1883-87, which is seen more often.
Recently I have noted examples of it in Sunningfields Road,
NW4, by the Nursery Walk junction; in Station Road, Finchley, N3, and
in Elmfield Road, N2, opposite the Red Lion pub.
Another interesting -- and rare -- pillar box is the Edward VIII box in Elliott Road, NW4, near the junction with Hendon Way.
The Industrial Archaeology Group of HADAS (Alec Jeakins) would
like to hear from members of examples of unusual pillar boxes and also
of other types of historic street furniture, e.g. street lamps, seats
with interesting iron work, such as the arms of the various Boroughs
which now form Barnet, and so on.
Has HADAS found Hendon Man?
As members who study the local press will know, the final stages of
the Church Terrace dig had been enlivened -- though perhaps that is
hardly the right word in the circumstances -- by the discovery of an
ancient human burial, the first ever found by HADAS.
It is on the extreme north west of the site, beside the clerk's
cottage and is a formal burial, probably male, but with no trace of a
coffin. Judging by the grey and black grit-tempered pottery found in
the level from which the grave was dug, burial may have taken place in
the 13th or 14th centuries.
The bones are in a highly fragile condition, and the grave is
cut into heavy yellow clay. Removing the dark fill of the grave, and
clearing around the sides of the skeleton, has been a delicate job. The
soil has been loosened with a small knife, and then brushed gently away
using water and a 1 1/2 inch paint brush.
There were other problems. When the grave was first found, it
tended to fill quickly with water. This meant bailing out every time
before digging started, and sponges were in constant use while digging
went on. Fortunately an inquiry to the Metropolitan Water Board led to
the discovery of a faulty valve on a nearby water main, and the flood
ceased.
Not least of the difficulties was that the skull went into the
baulk and almost under the road. As a result the two members working on
the skeleton have had to lie on their stomachs on planks strategically
placed above the grave. The whole ticklish operation provided
passers-by in the roadway with an unexpected angle on archaeologists at
work.
As the Newsletter goes to press a second burial has begun to be
uncovered some 4 yards from the first. At the moment only the long
bones of the legs and the bones of the feet are visible. A dark outline
in the clay between the two known burials suggests that a third may be
awaiting discovery.
Why these burials should lie outside the churchyard of Hendon
St. Mary's is still a mystery. In medieval times the Church consisted
of the present Lady Chapel, and the churchyard is likely to have been
smaller in area than it is today, so there is no doubt that these
graves were outside consecrated ground.
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As announced in the last Newsletter, the Church Terrace dig ends
officially on 31st May, although through the kind co-operation of the
Borough Architect's Department it may be possible to finish one or two
outstanding jobs after that date.
Several years ago the Society obtained agreement in principle
from the Borough to the investigation of other sites in the Church End
development area. We have now applied for ratification of that
permission and have asked to dig at two other sites. One fronts on
Church Road, between Sunny Gardens Road and Fuller Street (the
buildings here have already been demolished); the other is on the
corner of Church End and Church Road, opposite the almshouses. On both
sites it is intended first to take out a trial trench. Whether we
continue with the sites or abandon them will depend on the evidence the
trial trenches produce.
So at this moment we can't make any formal announcement about
what digging will be played take place after May 31st; but members are
asked to ring Dorothy Newbury or Brigid Grafton Green who will both be
able to provide information.
Subscription Reminder
The Treasurer reminds all members who have not paid their
subscriptions for the current year that these fell due on 1 April 1974.
A remittance slip is enclosed with this Newsletter, with which
you can also order copies of the Society's Occasional Paper No. 2, The
Blue Plaques of Barnet.
Our Treasurer would be happy too to receive any trading stamps
(green or pink) which members may care to donate. These are most useful
for buying equipment for the dig.
May outing to Lewes
Reported by George Ingram.
Highspot of the HADAS visit to Lewes on May 18th was a conducted
tour of the ruins of the priory of St. Pancras. In this great
monastery, founded in 1077 by William de Warenne, was the first
Cluinaic house in Britain. It was one of Cluny's "elder daughters",
with subsequently six daughter houses of its own. William de Warenne, a
companion of the Conqueror, married Gundrada, said to have been William
I's daughter (although this is disputed by some authorities).
In its heyday the monastery must have formed a vast complex --
its ruins are still extensive. Gundrada was buried before the high
altar of the Priory Church, said to have been even larger than
Chichester Cathedral; unfortunately, when The Lewis to Brighton railway
was cut in 1845, the line went through the whole East End of the
church, destroying, among other things, Gundrada's resting place.
Our guide to the Priory ruins had briefed us in advance on what
we were to see. He had given us a short talk on the Priory, with
slides, in the morning, as well as showing us over the Town Hall and
Barbican Hall Museum, which houses many of the Sussex Archaeological
Society's finds. There we were favoured with a preview of the new Roman
room, not yet open to the public.
After visiting the Priory in the afternoon the party split into
two groups. One walked over the Downs to see the excavation of a Bronze
Age barrow; the other took in Lewes Castle and the Ann of Cleves
Museum.
After tea at the 15th century Bull House -- where Tom Paine
(1739-1808) the English-born radical writer and politician once lived
-- we started for home. On the coach a warm vote of thanks was given to
Rosalind Elliston and Pip Saunders for organising the successful
outing; and one of our younger members, Marion Newbury, ran a raffle to
help with the expenses of the trip. "Ran" is the operative word, as she
distributed to prizes in a series of sprints up and down the gangway of
the coach!
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Local History in North London
The last six months have produced a spate of booklets on different
aspects of North London history. Camden, Brent, Barnet and Enfield have
all leapt into print.
The Enfield Archaeological Society has produced 32 pages, with
2 plates and a map, on "Prehistoric and Roman Enfield", at £0.50. The
Camden History Society has published "More Streets of Hampstead" (price
£1), a well produced companion to its earlier "The Streets of
Hampstead" (1972, at £0.75). These booklets, covering the history of
street names, famous buildings and equally famous owners are
beautifully produced, with many photographs maps and plans.
In Brent the Wembley History Society offer a booklet of
photographs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1924 British
Empire Exhibition at Wembley (price £0.75) and also a special edition
of their roneod Journal describing the different stands and palaces
which composed the exhibition.
Our own Libraries Department has reprinted George Wilmot's "The
Railway in Finchley" (first published 1962) with a new final chapter
bringing the story up to the minute (price £1). This has early railway
plans and photos and is packed with facts and figures.
We must give a special accolade, however, to the latest booklet
by HADAS member Clive Smith -- "Golders Green As It Was". This is the
third of Mr Smith's booklets, the first two having dealt with Hendon
and Mill Hill. Like the others, it is a words-and-pictures (but mostly
pictures) account from the turn of the century to the mid 1920s.
Every page has its fascination, but perhaps the most dramatic
are pages 8 and 9. They start by showing Golders Green crossroads in
1904 -- a muddy country road (Finchley Road) crossed by a country lane
(North End Road) in the middle of flat fields. A cottage with a single
chimney stands roughly where Golders Green Station yard now is. On the
skyline can be seen the faint outline of a building with a square tower
-- the Crematorium, built two years before.
On the next page is the same scene only 20 years later --
houses stretching almost as far as the eye can see, the railway line
and station, a bus yard, a War Memorial, banks, cars, bustle. The speed
and ruthlessness of urban development, once transport becomes
available, is encapsulated in these two pictures.
Mr Smith's book costs £0.65, but as before he kindly offers it
to HADAS members at £0.50. Order from librarian, George Ingram, sending
£0.50 plus 6p postage.
Church Farm House Museum Exhibition
(Open till 23 June)
"Old Local Photographs" are the subject of this, too. The
exhibition covers the period 1865-1920, and no one interested in local
history should miss it.
Many photographs are of buildings now vanished without trace;
others show people and events. In this category are 8 unidentified
groups. The Library would be delighted if any HADAS member can offer a
clue as to the occasion or the identity of the individuals in the
photos. Any suggestions, please, to our Hon. Secretary.
Correction
In the article on Laurel Farm in the last Newsletter, the central
sentence in the third paragraph should read "This type of churn was
still in production in 1930" -- not 1830, has printed.