Stonehenge, William Stukeley (1687-1765) Stukeley Illustrated (2003)
Chase in four volumes. His assistant, Harold St George Gray (1872-1963), carried on his work at Maumbury Rings and farmer Martin Green still works on the archaeology of this famous area. See the wonderful little Pitt-Rivers Museum located in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Older readers will remember Sir Mortimer Wheeler (1890-1976) from the 1950s TV programme Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, but he also worked on Maiden Castle from 1934 to 1937. Also near Dorchester, Bill Putnam (1930-2008) worked out the sequence of construction of the Roman aqueduct that brought water to the first town. It is not only individuals that have contributed to the history of archaeology in our area. Dorset County Museum was formed in 1845 and led successful protests against Brunel’s cutting of the Wilts, Somerset & Dorset Railway through Poundbury hillfort. The Ancient Technology Centre at Cranborne replicates structures and ancient skills, with the New Barn Centre at
Bradford Peverell and Upton Country Park, Poole also working to promote interest in the deeper past. Bournemouth University exists for the academic study of archaeology. Dorset was chosen for a full survey in 1952 by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, published up to 1975. Parish by parish, the description of principal standing buildings and also earthworks of all periods, with photographs, aerial views and plans of buildings, castles, earthworks and field systems was catalogued. The development of the Historic Environment Record continues to grow as a resource for future generations. There is a continual need to raise public awareness and support for archaeology in the region as pressure grows to reduce government and local authority funding on heritage and cultural services. The work carried out by past generations must be built on by the next. blogspot/archstory bridporttimes.co.uk | 49