Wintry weather

Whilst the snow continues to fall here in Bowland, we are planning further research and field work which will take place over the next few months.
Members of Chipping History Group are keen to look into farm holdings and tenancies on the Leagram Estate, much of which lies within the old deer park boundary. This will give us some idea of when and how the park was subdivided into fields. We hope to visit Lancashire Archives in Preston and also the records of the estate held at Stonyhurst College in order to investigate this. There are also some interesting paintings of all the Estate farm buildings dating from the 1840s which are kept at the Harris Gallery in Preston which we would like to look at. Our field work here will be to identify the old 'deer leaps' marked on a map from 1608 to see if we can still find traces of them on the ground today.

Radholme Deer Park today (photo by Graham Cooper)

Research work on Radholme Park includes trying to find out more about what happened to the park area between 1660 and 1835, and our field work will focus on checking sites identified on old maps to see if they are of relevance to the deer park.
If this all sounds like interesting stuff, why not get involved by contacting cathy.hopley@lancashire.gov.uk. You can also come along to an illlustrated talk by Nigel Neil at Chipping village hall on Thursday June 27th, and a guided walk by Graham Cooper on Saturday June 29th - book your place now by contacting the AONB office on 01200 448000

Interviews with Jennie

Whilst Jennie was visiting us we had a chat over dinner at the Inn at Whitewell, which lies within the old deer park at Radholme.
Listen in on Jennie explaining how she intends to draw a Hunting Scene and also Why digital? for this kind of project. You can also hear more about how she got into this fascinating profession in Jennie's Biog

Archaeological illustrations

This week we have been out and about exploring the deer parks with Jennie Anderson who is an archaeological illustrator. Jennie is going to draw some reconstruction images which the project can use to help people imagine what the deer parks looked like back in the 1420's. These will focus on people doing things - like mending the pale, the park boundary; herding cattle through the park gates; and of course, hunting the fallow deer! Jennie will also be re creating views of the parks, so we can see the changes that have taken place over the last 5-600 years. Although the weather has been wild, wet and windy, its been a great opportunity for us to work with a professional illustrator.

Project Launched!

The Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are delighted to be one of the first groups in the UK to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) All Our Stories grant. This exciting project, A Leap in the Park, will tell the story of two medieval deer parks which once existed near to Chipping and Whitewell.
In the Forest of Bowland AONB a group of volunteers have been researching the origins of the deer parks and their impact on the landscape. This grant will now enable more people to get involved and to explore this fascinating heritage. Guided walks and workshops will help people to discover the remains of the deer park boundary - or 'pale' - and to look into the history of place names and farm and family names which link the original park with the modern day landscape. Digital walking guides and a website, plus a pack for schools will also enable people to discover more about the heritage of this special area for themselves.
We will post to the blog to keep you up to date with exciting developments as they take place!