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Eden Heritage Ltd celebrates 5 years in business!

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 09:19:39 GMT

Over 200 archaeology and heritage projects and counting...

Eden Heritage Ltd has delivered archaeology and heritage services to over 200 hundred project sites during the first five years and is looking forwards to another busy year in 2025. From Surrey in Southern England, up to Argyll and Bute in Scotland we've successfully delivered archaeology and heritage assessments, geophysical surveys, landscape surveys, historic building recording projects, archaeological evaluations, excavations and watching briefs across the UK. We've also helped to deliver several community archaeology projects during this time which have revealed new prehistoric, Roman and medieval evidence. Every project site is unique and reveals its own story about the past.

Heritage Statements and Heritage Impact Assessments

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:13:08 GMT

Negotiating cultural heritage and archaeology on development sites

As part of a long-term plan for housing, the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have recently committed to a new era of regeneration, inner-city densification, and housing delivery across England. This includes the reuse of existing buildings and spaces for new purposes, and redeveloping brownfield sites. This brings with it challenges in terms of impacts to cultural heritage and archaeology in the form of listed buildings and historic sites within our urban centres and townscapes.

Heritage Statements and Impact Assessments can help to negotiate the constraints of archaeology both below and above the ground. Eden Heritage Ltd has expertise in both urban and rural environments and can assist in meeting planning requirements relating to cultural heritage. We have recently provided support to urban developments in Carlisle, Lancaster, and Newcastle, in addition to rural developments across Cumbria and the North of England. Please get in touch for a free quotation if we can assist with your planning application or development.

Inspiring Eden Award

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 14:16:09 GMT

Martin Railton is presented with an award at St Anne's Hospital, Appleby-in-Westmorland

Martin Railton, Director of Eden Heritage Ltd, has been awarded an Inspiring Eden Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to local community and heritage. Through Eden Heritage Ltd, Martin has delivered commercial archaeology consultancy services, providing employment opportunities for local people. His range of services and interventions includes archaeological surveys and evaluations, geophysical surveys and heritage assessments. These support planning applications and economic development throughout the Eden Valley and Cumbria, while also preserving local historical buildings.

Martin's contribution to Cumbrian heritage has been unstinting, as evidenced by over 15 articles published in The Cumberland and Westmorland Herald newspaper and 8 academic journal publications over a 20-year period. He has also voluntarily supported Eden District Council's Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) project, using the town's built and written history to promote it as a place to live and visit.

In his role, he has provided volunteering opportunities for people of all ages through the Appleby Archaeology Group, which he established 25 years ago. He has catered inclusively for all levels of interest and ability, providing training, events, talks, visits, and local fieldwork activities. Martin's commitment to preserving historic Appleby has been acknowledged by his membership in Appleby's Heritage Futures Group, promoting and preserving the town's heritage to bring economic and social benefits to the community.

For his contributions, he was even awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in her late Majesty's 2022 Jubilee birthday honours for founding Appleby Archaeology Group and for his contributions to the local community in Appleby-in-Westmorland.

The Inspiring Eden Award recognises Martin Railton's unwavering commitment to preserving and promoting Cumbrian heritage, contributing to the local economy and providing inclusive opportunities for people of all ages. His dedication and entrepreneurial spirit have been an inspiration to many and have helped to make Eden a better place to live and visit.

Martin said, "In terms of archaeology, there was lack of people in the Eden Valley delivering these services, so I was really keen to bring those opportunities back to county after working in Manchester previously. Starting up the business was a bit of a risk, but I knew the service was needed. I'm really pleased that despite the challenges of COVID, we have managed to keep going and continue to grow and develop".

On receiving the award, he added, "It is a great honour and I am very grateful for the recognition that what I'm doing is really making a difference and it is being valued by others."

Cllr Douglas Banks, Chair of Eden District Council, said, "I just think it's wonderful that somebody is getting local people to look at where they live, and find out the history of their place. It's brilliant how Martin encourages children and the local community to learn more about the history of where they live, and hopefully this can go to helping young people to stay in the area for local opportunities. "Martin is a worthy recipient of the Inspiring Eden Award, and we hope that his example will inspire others in the area to work towards similar goals."

The Inspiring Eden Awards are part of Eden District Council's wider initiative to promote rural excellence and support the local economy. By recognizing the achievements of exceptional individuals and organizations, the Council hopes to encourage others to follow their lead and help build a brighter future for the Eden area.

The White House, Appleby-in-Westmorland

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 15:11:50 GMT

New historic offices for Eden Heritage

Eden Heritage now occupies the ground floor office of the White House, one of the grandest houses of Appleby-in-Westmorland, located in the heart of the former County Town of Westmorland. The White House is an imposing 18th century Gothic style three-storey house and is a Grade II* listed building. It is unlike any other town house, with whitewashed elevations of multiple depressed ogee-headed windows and tracery, with a similarly styled main entrance. The history of the building is equally interesting and was once home to one of Appleby’s most notorious historical figures.

The building occupies a single medieval burgage, running from the main street of Boroughgate eastwards to the River Eden, and it is depicted on plans of Appleby-in-Westmorland dating from 1754. In the same year the building was re-built by John Robinson, steward of the Lowther Estate, to make it ‘fit for a Gentleman’s family’. After moving into the White House, John Robinson gradually gained more influence in Appleby’s affairs, becoming mayor in 1760, MP for Westmorland in 1764, and in 1770 John was appointed Secretary to the Treasury. However, as an MP John Robinson was accused of bribing electors, and his accuser, unable to name him directly in Parliament, said “I could name him as soon as I could say Jack Robinson” popularising to the well-known saying.

Following Mr Robinson’s departure in 1780 The White House was maintained by the Earls of Thanet and the Hothfield Family, being occupied by their agents in the North. By this time the property had expanded to incorporate three of the original medieval town burgages with garden terraces and summerhouses overlooking the river and bowling green. In 1903 the building became the home of Dr Andrew Sprott, a respected physician who opened a consulting room in the ground floor office (now home to Eden Heritage). When the Hothfield Estate was eventually broken up in the 1950’s, Dr Peter Delap took possession and ran his practice from the house, while Dr Sprott's daughter Molley ran the Brownies from two of the summerhouses to the rear of the property. There was no waiting room for the surgery; the wide entrance hall served this purpose. This was frequently overcrowded, with people sitting all the way up the hall stairs.

The White House was sold privately in the 1980s and was subsequently divided into flats and offices, but it continues to be a dominant landmark building in the centre of the town, being the tallest of the Appleby houses. Eden Heritage is pleased to be able to help write the next chapter of the building’s history and propose to open to the public as part of the Heritage Open Days festival.

NB: The print of The White House is by the artist Chris Mouncey and is available with other works at The Courtyard Galley, Appleby

Geophysical Survey and Planning Developments

183:733296287 (Martin Railton) — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 22:02:36 GMT

Geophysical survey can inform the planning process and help a development to avoid impacting upon archaeological remains.

Geophysical survey is a rapid and cost-effective way of informing developers and land agents about potential buried archaeological remains within development sites, which are hidden from view. A survey can identify the potential risks to development from unexpected archaeological remains, and if undertaken at an early stage, can allow the flexibility to design out areas where dense and complex archaeology is present or to explore different route options.

There are many types of development projects that can benefit from geophysical survey, including housing and commercial developments, road construction projects, mineral extraction sites, pipeline projects and renewable developments, such as wind and solar farms. In the long term undertaking a survey can save both time and money for developers in all sectors by reducing the risk of unexpected discoveries on a site. It can be especially effective if completed in combination with a constraints report or desk-based assessment.

Eden Heritage has extensive experience of geophysical survey where it is often required to support planning applications or to inform master planning. It is particularly suitable for greenfield development sites to identify the locations of potential 'hidden' buried archaeological remains and can often be used to reduce the requirement for more costly archaeological trenches or excavations.

The benefits of geophysical survey include:
• Early identification of archaeology
• Rapid & inexpensive method
• Non-invasive, low-impact survey
• Detects a wide range of features
• Can provide a ‘map’ showing buried archaeology & other features

Could a geophysical survey help provide information about your development site? Contact us for further information or a quotation for a geophysical survey

Prehistoric Monuments at Brackenber Moor

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 09:01:49 GMT

A golf course with a hidden history

Brackenber Moor is an attractive area of unenclosed moorland, situated c . 3km to the east of Appleby-in-Westmorland in the Eden Valley. The land is managed as a traditional open common, with local farmers exercising grazing rights. Parts of the moor are also a popular golf course managed by Appleby Golf Club, which is famous for its dramatic open views of the Pennine fells to the east. However, golfers enjoying the scenery may be oblivious to the fact they are playing in a prehistoric landscape, which has been utilised for at least four thousand years.

Brackenber Moor has certainly been occupied from at least the Bronze Age period ( c .2,500-700 BC) but recent archaeological investigations have revealed even earlier activity. A series of probable Bronze Age burial cairns lie on a ridge southeast of the Appleby Golf Club House, all of which are Scheduled Monuments (protected by law). Excavation on the edge of one of the fairways has also identified the site of a previously-unknown Bronze Age cemetery. This included a series of pits containing cremated human remains, surrounded by a circular bank and ditch, and sealed by a stone cairn. The cremations of at least five individuals were accompanied by an Early Bronze Age collared urn and a smaller accessory vessel. Another Bronze Age cairn contained an assemblage of Mesolithic and Early Neolithic flint tools, which are believed to pre-date the monument, and demonstrate that Brackenber Moor has been utilised for a considerable period.

An earthwork enclosure with the fanciful title of ‘The Druidical Judgement Seat’ was also investigated by Appleby Archaeology Group and found to be an Iron Age farmstead ( c . 800 BC – c . 100 AD). The earthwork occupies a natural headland on the southwest side of Brackenber Moor with steep banks on three sides, and a single entrance through a surrounding bank and ditch. The geology of the area is New Red Sandstone and George Gill, which lies next to the farmstead, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This is well known by geologists because of a series of rocky crags which were laid down in the Permian Period, including several wind-blown caves which could have been utilised in prehistory for storage or shelter.

The A66 to the south of Brackenber Moor , follows the course of the High Street Roman Road across Stainmore, linking the Roman forts of Bowes and Brough, and forming part of a strategically important route between York and Carlisle. It has therefore been speculated that Brackenber Moor was also the site of a Roman signal station or camp, being one of a chain of signal station sites which are believed to follow this road. However, Roman activity has yet to be identified, and archaeological investigations have so far only revealed sites that are very much older. Nevertheless, research continues at Brackenber Moor and may produce more surprises about this part of the Eden Valley.

Heritage: Recording Historic Buildings

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 10:04:04 GMT

The importance of recording historic buildings prior to conversion

The conversion of historic buildings presents an opportunity for historic building recording, which is undertaken in order to retrieve information about the building and its use over time, prior to development. A building need not be listed to be considered a 'heritage asset'. Historic building recording is therefore often a planning requirement for buildings present by the time of the First Edition Ordnance Survey or earlier maps.

This is certainly the case for historic farm buildings. The period 1750-1880 has been recognised as the most important period of farm building development in England. Historic building recording is therefore often required as a condition of planning consent, requiring a detailed survey by a professional archaeologist or historic buildings specialist. This may comprise a photographic survey and/or a measured survey of the building, sometimes supported by documentary research and detailed analysis of the building’s development and use over time.

This summer Eden Heritage has provided support to a number of farm developments by recording a variety of historic buildings including farm houses, barns, stables, cart sheds, pig sties, granaries, and shippons (cow houses). One site included a 19th century horse engine house or horse mill in a state of collapse, but still complete with the original power transmission mechanism and horse harnesses. This would have powered threshing machinery in the adjacent threshing barn. Horse engine houses were eventually made redundant by the introduction of steam-threshers, making it unusual to find an example surviving intact.

Each building survey undertaken will result in a detailed report. All of our historic building survey reports are made available through the county Historic Environment Records to aid future research. If you require a historic building survey, please contact Eden Heritage for a quotation.

Cultural Heritage and Archaeology in Planning

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 10:24:35 GMT

Why you need heritage impact assessments for planning applications

Since the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) there has been a greater need to consider the impact of any proposed development on cultural heritage and archaeology. Heritage Impact Assessments or Heritage Statements are often required to accompany a planning application in order to provide sufficient information to allow the Local Planning Authority to determine the application.

The potential impacts on heritage significance need to be assessed by a heritage professional for all designated heritage assets (e.g. listed buildings, scheduled monuments or conservation areas) and non-designated sites, including archaeological sites recorded in the Historic Environment Record (HER) and locally-listed buildings. Eden Heritage has been established to provide heritage impact assessments which can be used to support a wide range of developments, including residential and commercial developments, new farm buildings, renewable energy schemes, utility pipelines and new roads, large-scale mixed-use developments, and to support land allocation for housing.

This will usually involve a search of records and archives held for a locality, including historic maps and documents, and a site visit to identify any physical remains and assess potential visual impacts of a proposed development, including changes to setting. An assessment will then be made of any potential impacts to the heritage significance of the sites or heritage assets identified. Eden Heritage can also provide advice on how such impacts can be reduced in order to both sustain the historic environment and gain a successful planning application.

Each site provides unique challenges in terms of meeting the needs of heritage and archaeology whilst also supporting new developments, but we look forward to assisting our clients with their future projects! Feel free to contact us for advice or a free quotation.

Dig Appleby - Digging Deeper : Community Archaeology

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 16:35:00 GMT

Community archaeology in the heart of the Eden Valley

Eden Heritage is supporting a 3-year community archaeology project, which aims to provide new information about the origins and development of the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria. Supported through the Heritage Lottery Fund, Dig Appleby – Digging Deeper aims to encourage volunteers to discover more about archaeology and local history by undertaking hands-on research. The project has provided workshops and training in archaeological investigation methods, following which volunteers have been conducting archaeological surveys and excavations around the town.

Appleby-in-Westmorland was formerly the County Town of Westmorland, but the town’s origins are currently not well-understood. There has been very little previous archaeological research undertaken within Appleby-in-Westmorland, due largely to the lack of modern development within the historic core of the town. However, the preliminary investigations that have previously taken place suggest that archaeological remains survive both within the historic core of the town and the surrounding landscape, waiting to be discovered. The Dig Appleby project hopes to reveal more about the early Danish settlement at Bongate, and the Norman medieval town, as well as later periods of the town’s history.

During the summer volunteers have excavated test pits and trenches in the gardens of Bongate and the main street of Boroughgate, which has resulted in the discovery of medieval remains. The garden of St Anne’s Hospital has proven particularly productive and has produced a large assemblage of medieval pottery. Opened in 1653 by Lady Anne Clifford, St Anne’s Hospital was built for the maintenance of 13 poor widows, looked after by a ‘mother’. The hospital comprises almshouses with a private chapel, arranged around a central courtyard and is a Grade II* listed building. A trench in the garden to the rear of the almshouses revealed the remains of structures beneath the garden pre-dating the almshouses, including a very large pit containing discarded animal horns. In the medieval period horn was an inexpensive and plentiful material and it was probably being used to make everyday household articles such as spoons and beakers. The results of the project will be published online, and displayed in the town, with a booklet produced on the archaeology of Appleby-in-Westmorland.

Development in the Lake District World Heritage Site: Heritage

Sat, 29 Jun 2019 20:04:22 GMT

Now that the Lake District has been designated a World Heritage Site, planned development needs to be carefully considered in terms of balancing development requirements against the conservation of heritage and archaeology, in order to ensure that the park’s unique status is preserved for the future.

Since the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) there has been a greater need to consider the impact of proposed new developments on heritage and archaeology in the UK. A Heritage Statement or Heritage Impact Assessment is often required to accompany a planning application in order to provide sufficient information to allow the Local Planning Authority to determine the application. The potential impacts on heritage significance need to be assessed for all designated heritage assets (e.g. listed buildings, scheduled monuments or conservation areas) and non-designated sites, including archaeological sites recorded in the Historic Environment Record (HER) and locally-listed buildings.

In the Lake District there is now also a need to examine the possible impact of a proposed development on the Outstanding Universal Values of the World Heritage Site. This will usually involve a search of records and archives held for a locality, including historic maps and documents, and a site visit to identify the nature and significance of any physical remains. The potential visual impacts of a proposed development, including changes to setting and possible impacts to Outstanding Universal Values, will also need to be assessed.

Each development site provides unique challenges in terms of meeting the needs of heritage and archaeology whilst also supporting new developments, but a professional heritage assessment can also help in terms of reducing impacts by feeding back into the design process. Eden Heritage looks forward to assisting our clients with their future projects.

The A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project: Archaeology

183:733296287 (Martin Railton) — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 16:15:27 GMT

The potential for new discoveries in the Eden Valley

Archaeology and heritage need to be considered in advance of improvements to the A66 trans-Pennine link between Scotch Corner and Penrith. The archaeological importance of the A66 route is well-established, following the course of the High Street Roman Road, and passing near several archaeological sites, historic buildings and landscapes. Consultation by Highways England is underway, but the sections of the route proposed for upgrading to dual carriageway in the Eden Valley need careful consideration:

The High Street Roman Road is a strategically important route between York ( Brovacum ) and Carlisle ( Luguvalium ). Some of the associated forts, camps and other Roman features along the route were investigated between 1989 and 1991 associated with the widening of the A66 over Stainmoor. A Roman signalling system was suggested to extend from Stainmoor into the Eden Valley, although recent research at Brackenber Moor near Appleby-in-Westmorland has cast doubt over this interpretation, with one site being re-classified as a prehistoric monument (see Altogether Archaeology ).

In 2006/7 the upgrading of the A66 to dual carriageway between Greta Bridge and Scotch Corner revealed further important archaeological evidence. At Scotch Corner substantial areas of Late Iron Age occupation were identified in fields either side of the road, the suggestion being that these were farms that had supplied the Roman garrisons. This work demonstrates the potential for further archaeology to be revealed by the proposed A66 improvements between Scotch Corner and Penrith.

The author has investigated several archaeological sites between Appleby-in-Westmorland and Kirkby Thore. The Temple Sowerby to Appleby – Kirkby Thore section options (Option E and Option F) both pass close to the Scheduled Monuments of Kirkby Thore Roman Fort and Associated Vicus (Monument Ref: 1012183), and Redlands Bank Roman Camp (Monument Ref: 1007189), both of which have been surveyed and could be impacted by the scheme. Previously-unrecognised archaeological remains may also to survive outside of the scheduled areas.

The northernmost bypass route proposed at Temple Sowerby to Appleby- Crackenthorpe (Option H) follows the exact course of the Roman Road, whilst the more southerly route (Option G) follows a dismantled railway. Both routes could directly impact archaeological remains of Roman and/or prehistoric date, in addition to the Roman road itself. Recent geophysical survey by the author at Castrigg Roman fortlet (Monument Ref. 1007174) located to the north of the proposed routes revealed evidence for a possible prehistoric settlement predating the Roman fortlet, which could extend further south. Fieldwalking has also produced prehistoric evidence along the A66 route near Appleby.

Archaeological fieldwork will no doubt be undertaken over the route sections in due course, as it was for the recent A1 upgrade work , and this has the potential to reveal more information about prehistoric and Roman occupation of the Eden Valley. Whilst this is enviable from an academic point of view, the impacts to the setting of the scheduled monuments and possible impacts to other heritage assets along the route will also need careful consideration to reduce the heritage impacts of the scheme.

Eden Heritage is based in Appleby-in-Westmorland close to the proposed A66 trans-Pennine link road improvements. Several reports on the work undertaken in the vicinity are available online via the Appleby Archaeology Group website ( research reports ).