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BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Protected status given to 5000-year-old Yorkshire Dales monument
A 5,000-year-old prehistoric monument in the Yorkshire Dales National Park has been granted protected status to help prevent any future Dudderhouse Hill long cairn has been designated a Scheduled Monument, meaning it is legally protected against unauthorised back to the Neolithic age - approximately 3400 to 2400 BC - long cairns are considered to have been some of the first structures constructed by communities of Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said scheduling the "remarkable Neolithic long cairn" would ensure this "rare and fragile piece of our prehistoric heritage receives the protection it deserves". Currently, the Dudderhouse Hill long cairn survives as a partly turf-covered oval mound of stones, about 23m (75ft) long, 12m (39m) wide and 1m (3ft) high."It doesn't look particularly impressive and that's one of the problems," Paul Jeffery, Historic England's national listings manager, said. "Nearby, about 70m (230ft) away, there's a cairn where people have added stones over time."Unfortunately, because they don't realise that this is such an important site, some people walking past pick up stones from what they think is just this pile and then add them to the other cairn and obviously that causes harm." However, Mr Jeffrey added the monument was far from just a pile of stones. "When you stand next to it, look out at the views and you realise that it's the remains of burial chambers that's lasted so long, then it's much more impressive," he listings manager explained the monument had been built at a time where hunter gatherers were settling down and becoming early farmers. "This is really one of the first monuments built by a community in the country and some of the first in Europe," he said."This would have been a big monument that people would have recognised and said 'somebody lives there and somebody values this place'." As a Scheduled Monument, the Dudderhouse Hill long cairn will now receive the highest level of heritage protection available in Wilson said: "What makes this discovery particularly significant is that it belongs to a small group of recently identified long cairns in the Yorkshire Dales, an area where these monuments were once thought to be absent."The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority would now be able to put up signage explaining the site's importance. The protected status could also attract grant funding to ensure the monument's maintenance for another 5,000 years. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
20-07-2025
- BBC News
Seaside stories sought for map to celebrate coastal gems
People are being asked for special memories and images of their favourite coastal landmarks to add to an interactive map celebrating the country's seaside England's map already features coastal gems such as the Art Deco Midland Hotel in Morecambe, Lancashire, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach's Big Dipper Fort Perch Rock, built between 1825 and 1829 as a coastal defence battery to protect the Port of Liverpool in Wallasey, Wirral, is also England is inviting contributions including photographs, drawings, text or audio for its Missing Pieces project, which helps tell the story of coastal places that hold a special place in people's hearts. The map celebrates nearly 300 years of seaside history, from the Grade II-listed Big Dipper rollercoaster to the Grade I-listed Blackpool Tower buildings as well as the Winter Gardens in Morecambe which first opened in 1897 and the nearby Midland Hotel. It also includes the Grade II*-listed Fort Perch Rock, which is now home to a maritime and aviation museum, and Grade II-listed Seacombe Ferry Terminal in Wirral. People are encouraged to submit photographs, drawings, written information or audio recordings about their cherished coastal Minister Baroness Twycross urged everyone to contribute to the project "to preserve the history of our coastal towns and breathe new life into their future".Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said the full richness of the country's seaside heritage "cannot be captured without the first-hand accounts, images and memories of those who've experienced them". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- BBC News
Call for memories of Devon and Cornwall's seaside heritage
People in the South West have been asked to contribute their own memories to a project celebrating the UK's seaside heritage. Historic England has launched an interactive map featuring coastal landmarks to celebrate 300 years of seaside England said the new map included locations like Jubilee Pool in Penzance and Princess Gardens and Royal Terrace Gardens in Executive Duncan Wilson encouraged people to contribute memories to its Missing Pieces Project, "so we can all help ensure these treasured coastal landmarks are celebrated". Mr Wilson said: "Our seaside places hold a special place in our national story, yet the full richness of their heritage cannot be captured without the first-hand accounts, images and memories of those who've experienced them."People have been asked to submit photographs, drawings, written information or audio recordings "that hold personal significance" to the England said: "The Missing Pieces Project recognises that every person's connection to these historic places adds a unique dimension to their cultural importance, helping to build a more complete picture of England's cherished seaside heritage."Your view of a place is as unique as you are, so every snapshot and story you add is an important piece of the picture."
BBC News
17-07-2025
- BBC News
Seaside memories wanted for East coast landmarks map
Memories of coastal landmarks are wanted for a new interactive map celebrating almost 300 years of seaside England's online resource highlights elegant Victorian piers and pavilions to lighthouses, beach huts and amusement parks, to reveal the evolution of Britain's holiday wants people to submit photos, drawings, writing or audio recordings about sites in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex that hold personal significance. "Our seaside places hold a special place in our national story, yet the full richness of their heritage cannot be captured without the first-hand accounts, images and memories of those who've experienced them," said chief executive Duncan Wilson. The map, launched on Thursday, is available on Historic England's website. It already includes markers for dozens of places, including:Pleasure Pier, built in 1889 in Southend-on Sea, EssexVenetian Waterways, which have graced the seafront in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, for 97 yearsSailors' Reading Room - a refuge for fishermen and mariners in Southwold, Suffolk, built in 1864Electric Palace Cinema, Harwich, Essex - one of the oldest purpose-built cinemas in existence, dating from 1911 Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
Glasgow Times
17-07-2025
- Glasgow Times
Interactive map celebrates treasured landmarks around England's coast
The public body said the tool aims to celebrate the country's vibrant seaside heritage, and people are being encouraged to share information about coastal landmarks that hold personal significance. As part of Historic England's Missing Pieces Project, people are asked to submit photos, drawings, written information or audio recordings about landmarks that hold a special place in their hearts. This could be a childhood holiday destination or a local landmark that symbolises home. Palace Pier in Brighton features on Historic England's interactive map of coastal landmarks (Kirsty O'Connor/ PA) The map celebrates nearly 300 years of seaside history, from elegant Victorian piers to beloved 20th century amusement parks, among destinations that welcome millions of visitors each year. Among the landmarks on the map are the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which was built in 1923 and is the second oldest in-use rollercoaster in Britain, after the Scenic Railway at Dreamland Amusement Park in Margate, Kent. The Big Dipper is one of only 37 pre-Second World War wooden rollercoasters worldwide, of which four are at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The Pleasure Pier at Southend-on-Sea in Essex, believed to be the longest pier in the world, is also on the map. It was first constructed in 1889 with later additions and rebuilds. The art deco, lido Jubilee Pool in Penzance, Cornwall; Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland; De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex; Peasholm Park in Scarborough, North Yorkshire; and the Palace Pier in Brighton also feature. Duncan Wilson, chief executive, Historic England, said: 'Our seaside places hold a special place in our national story, yet the full richness of their heritage cannot be captured without the first-hand accounts, images and memories of those who've experienced them. 'I encourage people to contribute to the Missing Pieces Project, so we can all help ensure these treasured coastal landmarks are celebrated.' Heritage Minister, Baroness Twycross, said: 'Our seaside communities play a huge role in telling our national story. 'I encourage everyone to contribute to the Missing Pieces Project to preserve the history of our coastal towns and breathe new life into their future.' To share your photos and memories of coastal landmarks, and to see the interactive map which goes live on Thursday July 17, see
