This stone house was built in the late 1600s for the Harrison family. It was abandoned between 1851 and 1879. Have the stones been re-used to extend Under Whitle farmhouse? Underground is the house cellar. This was re-roofed and turned into a vaulted storeroom after the house was abandoned. It then became a place to dump rubbish in the late 19th/20th century. Archaeologists found toys, tins, bottles and jars amongst the rubbish.
You are standing near the place where this stone head was found in a garden wall in the 1970s. Although it is not possible to be sure that this head dates from the Iron Age, it has many features associated with Iron Age stone heads including a simple form, flat face and nose, lentoid eyes, abstract features and a lack of facial expression. Another characteristic is the flattened head, possibly for the placement of votive offerings.
The Russet Well, which is in a private garden nearby, produces clear spring water that discharges into Peaks Hole Water. Our stone head may have formed part of a shrine where Iron Age farmers made offerings and sacrifices, perhaps as part of a springtime ritual. The Hope Valley is known to have been settled and farmed in the Iron Age, probably much earlier, and the imposing hillfort at Mam Tor originated in the late Bronze Age, around 1100 BC.
Discover the hidden history of the historic Whitle landscape. This quiet corner of the Peak District was once home to a large community of farmers. Populations have come and gone here, but their stories have been revealed by the community, archaeologists, and historians who have peeled back the layers of the past.
This photograph is taken at A Barnes & Son works – fairground and caravan decorators. The business initially started at the rear of King Street on Wellington Court, and then moved to these larger premises at Gresley House on Bridge Street in 1914. The photograph is of a fairground rounding board they created in the 1930s. Alfred Barnes founded the company in 1883 – he is fourth from the left. His son Harold is fifth from the right.
