Farming in Protected Landscapes – Press Release

Epiacum, In The News / By

North Pennines historic site to transform visitor experience

The team behind a Roman site in the North Pennines AONB and UNESCO Global Geopark has received funds to improve how people experience and enjoy their visit.

Epiacum Heritage and Castle Nook Farm, on Alston Moor, have received a grant of £32,777 from the Defra-funded Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, managed by the North Pennines AONB Partnership. The project, called Ancient Routes, will provide a new visitor trail and enhanced interpretation, and will be in place for the 2022 visitor season.

The new permissive access route starts at the South Tynedale Trail and follows old tracks and pathways to take in the site of the Romano British settlement and the Roman Fort. Visitors will also be able to see reconstruction images of life in Roman times, and drone images of the site as part of the new interpretation.

On the trail, new kissing gates and finger posts have been installed, and a guide for the trail is in production. Volunteers have worked to remove sections of wall to allow for trail access, and they will also be building wildlife boxes. The project also includes a survey of Wellhouse Bastle, a former dwelling dating from the Border Reiver period and other historic features in the landscape. These surveys will inform what further archaeological work may need to take place to conserve these monuments for the future.

Epiacum Roman Fort is an important Roman site and has been described as the most significant archaeological monument in the region.

Steve Bentley a Trustee with Epiacum Heritage CIO said: “This is a great opportunity for us to share more about what is special here at Epiacum and to help improve the overall experience for our visitors. We’re really pleased to be launching the new trail and to share the new images and interpretation of the site.”

Chris Woodley-Stewart, Director of the North Pennines AONB Partnership, said: “Supporting this work at Epiacum and Castle Nook Farm will help the Trustees and the farmer improve public access to and understanding of local nature and heritage, improve the conservation value of the land and help to consolidate a historic feature (a bastle). We are really pleased to be able to support this work through Farming in Protected Landscapes because it is a good fit with multiple programme objectives for people, heritage and nature.”

The two-year Farming in Protected Landscapes programme is managed in the North Pennines by the North Pennines AONB Partnerships and offers grants to farmers and land managers to carry out projects that support nature recovery, mitigate the impacts of climate change, provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and cultural heritage, or support nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses.

More information can be found on the North Pennines AONB Partnership’s website here: https://www.northpennines.org.uk/what_we_do/farming-in-protected-landscapes/

One of the new fingerposts sitting on the Pennine Way point out the new route and the way to Epiacum.

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Sponsorship of the ‘My Place in Time’ Project

Epiacum, In The News, Video / By

Epiacum Heritage is delighted to be a sponsor for the ‘My Place in Time’ project run in collaboration with the Young Archaeologists’ Club, The Council for British Archaeology and SharedPast, led by Professor Stewart Ainsworth who should be familiar to many friends here at Epiacum through his work on the site. Stewart presents a short film about the project, which is available to view in the LINKS section below.

Young people are being helped to investigate and discover the heritage of everyday places on their own doorstep thanks to a pioneering archaeological project – which does not use trowels and trenches – but instead involves exploring places with the tools of the new digital age.

Stewart Ainsworth, Honorary Visiting Professor in Landscape Archaeology at the University of Chester who is also well known as the landscape archaeologist with Channel Four’s Time Team, explained that the project is aimed at showing young people how they can explore the history and archaeology of a local place or space without needing to dig. While it has a flexible element of outdoor investigation, the project’s budding ‘landscape detectives’ do not even have to leave the house if getting outside is not possible due to COVID-19 – or for any other reason – offering an opportunity to explore the past even during the fluctuating circumstances caused by the recent pandemic.

The project focuses on introducing non-invasive archaeology techniques, highlighting how to find out information and identify changes over time in and around a chosen place, using a range of online resources, including historic maps, aerial photography, lidar (light detection and ranging), 3D models of the landscape and archaeological records.

My Place in Time is a collaboration between SharedPast, a group of heritage specialists and volunteers led by Professor Ainsworth, the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) and the Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC), with Dr Joanne Kirton, Youth Engagement Manager for the CBA – who gained her PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Archaeology at the University of Chester – also playing an integral role.

The project will be delivered initially to YAC group leaders, who will liaise with the SharedPast team to tailor training sessions and activities to meet the requirements of their own club – of which there are more than 70 throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

My Place in Time Film

LINKS

YAC – ‘My Place in Time’ project page 

The SharedPast website

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Friend and FOE?

Everything Else / By

We are really grateful for our many Friends of Epiacum (FOE), some who have shared our journey from the start! Back in 2010, we constituted and first launched our organisation, initially as a Limited Company and, more recently, as a Charity – Epiacum Heritage

Lots of people are enthusiastic about what we are doing and (we hope) that if you are reading this, that you are amongst them! But are you a Friend or a FOE?

Our work had progressed year on year – we have run events, increased interpretation , worked with various organisations, successfully run projects, developed research, amongst many other things.  We pride ourselves on being a “developing organisation” , and one which thinks creatively about how best to make the Epiacum site accessible and engaging (which is sometimes a challenge!)

Our  “FOE” organisation has run alongside us and is a great way for people to help us grow. With just over 60 people currently, we are grateful to each and every one for supporting our journey.  In return, our Friends receive regular newsletters, get to hear about events before they are advertised – as well as receiving discounts, where possible – and all for just £10 per year . We are currently looking at ways to further develop this and help people to feel more involved.

If being a FOE is something you feel would be worthwhile, you can join us – it’s simple………….. click on the link here where you can join immediately using our PayPal link

Alternatively, you can send a cheque (made payable to Epiacum Heritage) to us at

Epiacum Heritage ,Castle Nook, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3BG

Looking forward…………. we have lots of news to share over the next few months.

Why not join us today and be amongst the first to know?  Our formal renewal date is 01 June , although we welcome new Friends at any time. But by joining today, you can benefit from a full 12 month membership! Thank you

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The borehole is in full flow …grab a coffee!

Everything Else / By

Thankfully the water supply, which started out like my hesitant blogs, has remained in full flow and, as promised, there is more exciting news to share.

Those of you, who have patiently shared our journey over the years, will know of the challenges we have faced in providing visitors with hospitality in what is a rugged and remote landscape. How many times have visitors up on Epiacum needed a nice hot cup of coffee after trudging up that hill we will never know!

However, thanks to a recent successful planning application and (even more challenging) an application to LEADER for grant funding, the farm business has developed some exciting plans for the site which will transform it.

LEADER distribute European funding to support rural farm diversification projects which support the rural tourism  and create local jobs.  The project has been well supported, particularly by The North Pennines AONB , who described Epiacum as “one of the most important sites in the North Pennines.”

So, after months of waiting, TOMORROW (13.05.19) work will begin on a new build Farm Shop & Coffee Shop and a Visitor Information point. Located adjacent to the main road in the car park, it will be able to provide interpretation about the local landscape and the local North Pennine landscape, as well as a warm welcome, toilets and shelter.

Epiacum Heritage will benefit significantly from the development and be able to operate much more effectively on the site to support visitors. We hope that the farm shop will entice new visitors to the site too.

We are hoping to increase the activity around Epiacum significantly as a result and hope that this will be a great success for everyone involved.  It will be a real team effort and we will be promoting Epiacum in a new way going forward.

If you haven’t been on site yet, or you’re an observer but not yet a “Friend of Epiacum” then we look forward to seeing you soon.

Please do be aware that the car park may be disrupted over the next month (May- June) as the groundworks and foundations are put in place! The site will remain open but you may need to be creative over the parking. There is some space up beside the farm entrance or a small lay-by to the South of the car park .

We hope you share our enthusiasm for the plans.  It’s going top be a busy summer ahead but we are excited!

 

 

 

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