Stone Masons, Witches’ Markings And (More) Victorian Pottery

Following the medieval trackway from Padfield towards Deep Clough, archaeologist Tim Campbell-Green and Clare Savory sift through the stone mason markings in the tunnels under the Longdendale Trail, as well as spotting two apotropaic markings on a bridge: “two inverted V’s”. These religious markings are believed to have been used to ward off evil or bad luck…and perhaps witches after the reformation?!

Elsewhere, we stumble across some more Victorian pottery, a ‘glacial erratic’ and Tim shares the vision for his Glossop Creates Pairings: ‘A Big Dig’!

Spoiler alert: We end this episode in a tunnel surrounded by mould, lichen and spider webs!

Link to Tim’s blog Glossop Curiosities all about the mason markings here: https://glossopcuriosities.wordpress.com/2018/04/24/masons-marks-and-apotropaia/

The Longdendale Tales project was supported by Glossop Creates as part of their Pairings programme, matched with Matt Ross at the Peak District National Park’s Longdendale Environmental Centre in Tintwistle. 

Visit LongdendaleTales.co.uk to see our digital interactive map. 

Special thanks to Holly Close (assistant producer), Harry Heart (series theme music ‘Begging’), Owain Paciuszko (videos and visuals), Lauren Riley (logos and artwork) and Kate Raine (Glossop Heritage Trust research library).