Creswell Crags
Creswell, Nottinghamshire
Creswell Crags is a 500 metre-long limestone gorge, either side of a river, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. In the 50 metre high cliff faces on both sides of the gorge are the entrances to 24 caves and fissures. These contain remains of animals and plants, and of human occupation and activity from the last Ice Age, 50,000 years ago. The most northerly inhabited sites in Europe at the time, they are of international importance. The Crags hit the news in 2003 for the discovery of engraved art on the walls of the caves, the first cave art to be discovered in Britain.
The Creswell Heritage Trust, which manages the site, has a museum and education centre at the northern end of the gorge. This has a display of the gorge’s archaeology, a video presentation, activities room and shop. The Trust’s education programme, funded by charges, includes guided tours of the gorge and Robin Hood’s Cave. The year-long programme of events includes flint knapping demonstrations showing how Ice Age people made stone tools, craft activities for children and adults exploring Ice Age lifestyles and environments, archaeology events looking at objects, fossils and bones, and a variety of arts based activities that bring the Ice Age to life.
Primary schools can book for one of two educational packages, each lasting two hours. These involve dramatised story telling and hands-on activities including interactive ICT packages. The visits to the caves are supported by a comprehensive resource pack that provides links to many different areas of the National Curriculum. Tailor-made packages are also available on request. Secondary schools and colleges can have visits adapted to their requirements, covering not just archaeology but geology, ecology, biology, evolution, environmental studies, tourism and leisure management and heritage studies. Organised adult groups can book on the same lines.
The area has been badly affected by the decline of coal mining and many surrounding villages have areas of high social and economic deprivation and unemployment. The Heritage Trust aims to contribute to economic regeneration. It provides training for local people, and is involved with community groups exploring the heritage of the wider area covered by the Heritage Trust between Doncaster and Mansfield. The Trust has done much to raise the profile of the area, and people’s pride in their locality. DH
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