A small boast;)

 North Stoke: Springfield Lyons - Late Bronze Age causewayed enclosure

Today was supposed to be a day of rest from blogging but then................

I picked up the Prehistoric Britain book and then thumbed through the index (very long) but spotted the above Springfield Cursus, well yes Darvill had given a brief mention but that was all.  So as yesterday I had put on my blog the river Chelmer, the river that runs through Chelmsford, the Springfield Cursus runs alongside it and also further along the river there is the above settlement.

Both Paul and I loved walking the river and then finding the little 'wilderness' that was Springfield Lyons had been a great delight because of its wild roses and rabbits.  So in my usual way whilst thumbing through what I had written I came on a comment someone had written.  

Now the original blog was in 2011, but the comment had been written in 2017, so I had obviously missed it.  It seemed I had inspired local people to save this valuable small piece of land from the warehouses that were forever encroaching nearer.  Does that give me Karma, no but it made me happy to think that this historically enriched fragment of land had been saved. The report is in the link above.  Its history if fleshed out would have had a later B/A chieftain sitting outside his porched home facing one of the causeway gates.  Later as this settlement fell into ruin, the Saxons would have settled the land, and buried their dead here.  The women would have been buried with their beautiful brooches and their treasures, all excavated.  

Since this fascinating report, (THANK YOU!) the local community has striven to protect and enhance the site and surrounding green space. Litter-picks and a careful watch of local wildlife have contributed to this wonderful sanctuary in the heart of Springfield. There is, as you predicted, a constant threat of development - indeed, large warehouses have appeared at the boundary in recent years - but there is now a proposal to create a community-led Wild Park on this Public Open Space, including an area for archaeological information, potential for educational/historical projects and even cultural events. It is really the last wild area in an increasingly-urbanised environment, home to Great-Crested Newt and many other native species of flora and fauna. We are determined to celebrate its heritage and protect this unique area. Rose Moore. Search 'Springfield Lyons Wild Park'in Facebook for more information. and update