Excavations at Sherwood Pines, October 2023
- Posted in:
- Archaeology
- Miner2Major
- News
Nottinghamshire County Council and Forestry England have worked together to help shed more light on the archaeology buried within Sherwood Pines. A crew of volunteers assembled from Operation Nightingale and Forestry England have excavated three archaeological targets within the WWI training trenches within the forest. These features were selected over the course of several months, where specialists consulted the HER, conducted thorough archival research, and carefully studied the LiDAR survey data in the area (more information can be found here: The Veiled Landscape: Sherwood Lidar Project - Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record) . Soil samples were collected on site and processed to help us understand the environment of the past, and a metal detector and unexploded ordnance officer were also on site to lead in the discovery of a number of fascinating finds (and help keep us safe while doing so!)
A huge thanks goes out to the volunteers who braved the very wet conditions to help us better understand this important relic landscape and improve the management of the WWI trench network within the Sherwood Pines.
To find out more about the Clipstone Camp and the effects of WWI in Nottinghamshire:
- 'Clipstone Camp and the Mansfield Area in World War One: The impact of a large military presence in a North Nottinghamshire community',Pauline Marples. 2013.
- https://www.ourmansfieldandarea.org.uk/content/place/clipstone/clipstone_camp_and_the_mansfield_area_in_ww1
- From Forest to the Frontline: Understanding Clipstone Camp through Archival Research
Check out some more photographs from the excavation below:
Delivered as part of the Miner2Major Landscape Partnership scheme, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
