The first spade has gone into the ground, possibly the most exciting day of any project is day one. At this stage, we simply walk the site and establish suitable areas to begin to explore further.
This site makes it incredibly difficult to do this, as there are so many wonderful and special areas that we could investigate further.
Our first task was to walk the site, we knew almost instantly that there were secrets to be found, we found a plethora of porcelain , and china sherds, both everyday use kinds and finer, 'best' china decorated with floral patterns or gold slivers, there was also a delightful royal blue piece with crackle glaze.
We found an area that had been plundered, and the cover of a fire hydrant removed, so we had a look and then made it safe.
The areas which were the outbuildings, also known as coal houses or coalsheds, were the fuel stores for the houses, and where they stood is clearly visible, there is a thick layer of coal and coke still in situ.
The ground itself is testament to the industrial heritage of the site, a secret unearthed by a recent storm, when trees, felled by the wind, shared what their roots were entwined with, lots of coal, coke, and remains of industrialisation, maybe those trees are not too different to those of us who also have our roots entwined with coal.
If you would love to get involved and volunteer with us to see what other secrets the woods holds, then please get in touch. focusonthene@gmail.com
