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The Future of the Past in Tarset 2
Location: Northumberland
The aim of the overall project is to collate and compile a comprehensive digital archive for Tarset. What makes it different is not just the scope of its interests but the way that it is achieving this.
The archive will include a history of the land and natural environment as well as of its people, the changing relationship with the land, the local industries it generated, and the social and cultural life. When the first stage of the project started in 2004, information about the area either lay scattered between a variety of agencies or was incomplete.
We are working to collate what exists, by generating a number of sub-projects to discover more or bring records up-to-date, and commissioning work to help fill in the gaps.
It is acknowledged that this is an extensive project which is broken down into achievable stages, phased over a number of years. These stages are largely community-led, tapping into different interests; this is thought key to engaging a wide range of people, and hence we are reluctant to be prescriptive about the ordering of projects, other than ensuring that we balance progress in each of the main areas of interest - geology, archaeology, natural history/biodiversity, industrial archaeology, and social and cultural history.
Often projects cross these area boundaries, as in our geology and extractive industries survey, and thereby help develop the perception of the integrated nature of our history.
The emphasis in phase one, year one, was on engaging community involvement by offering a wide spread of projects/events, for which training was arranged as necessary. We also began to identify the range of archiveable material held by individuals in the area and undertook the scanning and cataloguing a major photograph collection discovered in Greenhaugh.
We identified and learnt how to use a suitable archiving system, established our identity in web and logo design, commissioned a set of images of Tarset, and organised a two-day open exhibition which was attended by three-quarters of the households in the area, and many from outside it.
The current application is for year 2, and targets a new set of project objectives.
Year 2 projects:
Archaeology: work on interpretation of the new features located through air photos; conduct programme of field walks with NNPA archaeologists
Industrial archaeology: conduct practical work on bell pits, including measurements and excavation of pit spoil; arrange student project on the collapsed dam at Highgreen; arrange work on agrarian history
Geology: work with NNPA Geodiversity project in area; execute formal interpretation of air photos for verification of geological features; extend areas for survey to those not yet covered
Biodiversity: fungi survey and photography; bumblebee survey; ancient hedgerow survey
Cultural history: agrarian history; work on the drovers; participate in bloodsports history exhibition at Heritage Centre
In addition, we will:- Arrange open day event showing new range of results and artifacts. (The NNPA considers these open events as an important exemplar for other community groups and we have been asked to extend invitations more widely this year, in the hope of stimulating a similar working method in communities in other parts of the Park)
- Produce illustrated map of area , showing many newly identified sites of all kinds ( ie archaeological, geological etc), to give free to every household in community, to enhance perception and understanding of area’s complexity and promote further inquiry.
Group Name |
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Tarset Archive Group |
| Project Contact |
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Jan Ashdown |
| Project Postcode |
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NE48 1NT |
| Finishing Date |
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30 Oct 06 |
| See also |
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Tarset Archive Group website |
| Grants: |
Heritage Lottery Fund: £6485
Nationwide Building Society: £2000
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