Newmarket Farm photo possibly taken in about 1924. From a collection of photos by Capt. Bertie Hubbard Maclaren. Brighton & Hove Royal Pavilion and Museums, ref. HA930078.
Two hundred metres above the nearby English Channel, Newmarket Hill crowns that part of the South Downs which lies between the towns of Brighton to the west and Lewes to the east, and between the villages of Rottingdean to the south and Falmer to the north. It’s top is in the parish of Kingston near Lewes, the village of which is about a mile and half away. It is now only about a mile to the north-east of the relatively modern village of Woodingdean and a mile and a half to the north-west of the deserted medieval hamlet of Balsdean. Its south-eastern slopes form a part of Castle Hill National Nature Reserve which is a site of European importance. This blog is about the history and ecology of its surrounding downland.
In April 2013 I managed – as a volunteer for Natural England – a community based excavation of the site of a 19th century farm labourer’s cottage, farmyard and barns called Newmarket Farm, just inside Castle Hill NNR, near the summit of Newmarket Hill. It was built in 1830 and was the birth place of my mother in 1942, shortly before it was requisitioned for military training by British and Canadian troops stationed both locally and further afield in SE England.
Some Recommended Blog Entries
- Newmarket Farm Dig progress reports:
- April 2013: First Dig day; Second Dig Day; Third Dig Day; Fourth Dig Day;
- May 2013: Fifth Dig Day; Sixth Dig Day; Seventh Dig Day; Eighth Dig Day; Ninth Dig Day; Tenth Dig Day; Eleventh Dig Day; Twelfth Dig Day;
- June 2013; Thirteenth Dig Day; Fourteenth Dig Day; Fifteenth Dig Day; Sixteenth Dig Day; Seventeenth Dig Day; Eighteenth Dig Day; Nineteenth Dig Day;
- July 2013; Twentieth Dig Day; Twenty First Dig Day; Twenty Second Dig Day; Twenty Third Dig Day; Twenty Fourth Dig Day; Twenty Fifth Dig Day; Twenty Sixth Dig Day; Twenty Seventh Dig Day; Twenty Eighth Dig Day;
- August 2013; Twenty Ninth Dig Day; Thirtieth Dig Day; Thirty First Dig Day; Thirty Second Dig Day; Thirty Third Dig Day; Thirty Fourth Dig Day; Thirty Fifth Dig Day; Thirty Sixth Dig Day; Thirty Seventh Dig Day;
- September 2013; Thirty Eighth Dig Day; Thirty Ninth Dig Day; Fortieth Dig Day; Forty First Dig Day; Forty Second Dig Day; Forty Third Dig Day; Forty Fourth Dig Day;
- October 2013; Forty Fifth Dig Day; Forty Sixth Dig Day; Forty Seventh Dig Day; Forty Eighth Dig Day; Forty Ninth Dig Day; Fiftieth Dig Day; Fifty First Dig Day; Fifty Second Dig Day; Castle Hill NNR Visit & Tour Preparations – Thursday 24th October 2013; Fifty Third Dig Day; Fifty Fourth Dig Day;
- November 2013; Fifty Fifth Dig Day; Fifty Sixth Dig Day; Fifty Seventh Dig Day; Fifty Eighth Dig Day; Fifty Ninth Dig Day; Sixtieth Dig Day; Sixty First Dig Day; Sixty Second Dig Day;
- December 2013; Sixty Third Dig Day; Sixty Fourth Dig Day; Sixty Fifth Dig Day; Sixty Sixth Dig Day; Sixty Seventh Dig Day; Sixty Eighth Dig Day; Sixty Ninth Dig Day; Seventieth Dig Day;
- January 2014; Seventy First Dig Day; Seventy Second Dig Day; Seventy Third Dig Day; Seventy Fourth Dig Day; Seventy Fifth Dig Day; Seventy Sixth Dig Day; Seventy Seventh Dig Day;
- February 2014; Seventy Eighth Dig Day; Seventy Ninth Dig Day; Eightieth Dig Day; Backfilling;
- Draft version of book on the Blog: A History of Newmarket Farm
- Motivations to dig: Distant memories…
- Nice photos: Some pictures of Castle Hill Nature Reserve
- Images relating to Newmarket Farm: Newmarket Farm
- First Site Clearance Photos: Newmarket Farm Site Clearance
- My Niece helped me to compare archaeology on the ground with an old site plan (in the freezing cold!): New Team Member Helps Confirm Site Plan
- Site Surveying in the Snow
- Revised Excavation Plan
- Snow cancelled clearance
- Live Bullet handed in to police
Some post-dig updates
- Update on Past, Present and Future for Newmarket Farm Dig; Posted on May 15, 2014
- Newmarket Farm Dig Progress; Posted on September 13, 2014
- Post Medieval Archaeology; Posted on December 18, 2014
- Just About Managing; Posted on June 13, 2015
- Pot Washing Finds; Posted on July 6, 2015
- More Pot Washing at Archaeology South East; Posted on July 12, 2015
- Happy New Year 2016 – Ends and Beginnings; Posted on January 1, 2016
Talks, related projects & research
- Talk in Falmer on the History of Newmarket Farm; Posted on June 5, 2014
- Woodingdean and the Great War – Common Origins; Posted on September 10, 2014
- Stanmer, Arts, and History; Posted on October 3, 2014
- Stanmer Stories; Posted on November 14, 2014
- Magic Maps; Posted on December 11, 2014
- Whitehawk Camp Family Archaeology Day at Brighton Museum (& 19thc picnic rubbish?); Posted on January 8, 2015
- A Great Day at Brighton Museum!; Posted on February 1, 2015
- WW2 & the Woodingdean Downs Talk; Posted on June 23, 2015
- WW2 Event, Michelham Priory; Posted on September 23, 2015
- Dieppe Raid Training in Balsdean?; Posted on October 21, 2015
- Keneric Wilson Killed, WW2 Training, Balsdean 1945; Posted on February 1, 2016
Reports & book
- Book (draft): A History of Newmarket Farm
- Newmarket Farm Dig Proposal – a technical report detailing my initial plans
- Newmarket Farm Dig Project Design – a technical report detailing my research about the site, expertise, support, plans, health and safety issues, etc
- Progress Review – future book writing and excavation report plans
David Cuthbertson: scienceinthegreen@gmail.com
Some dates for your diary (best viewed by clicking on ‘Agenda’ tab):
