ARCHEOLOGY
Although land usage has changed many times, resulting in site destruction, there is still quite a lot to be
seen and enjoyed, and because this area has been inhabited from prehistoric times the range of dates is vast.
Remember also that Archaeology is not a "dead" science, with dates and names and holes in the ground, but alive
with existing buildings and exciting landscapes. Just to tempt you to walk the published Archaeological/History
Trail, here are some short notes on a few of the Archaeological/Historical sites on the estate - an estate steeped
in history.
GRIME'S DYKE or GRIM'S DITCH on the eastern boundary of the estate is Iron Age or earlier, and is classed as a
scheduled ancient monument. Running for 8 kilometres it is a linear site comprising of a ditch and earthwork.
The best place to view the earthwork is in the north eastern corner of the Estate next to a former car park. Here
the bank and ditch measures approximately 2.5m high, 2.5m deep and has an overall width of about 10 metres.
THE SITE OF THE TEMPLARS PRECEPTORY, built between 1154 and 1165, was discovered in 1903 close to the River
Aire at Temple Thorpe Farm. It has unfortunately been destroyed by mining but a 1990 dig by West Yorkshire
Archaelogy Service recorded footings of a Great Barn surrounded by outbuildings. These included a church, a
mill and fish tanks, surrounded by a ditch. The area can best be surveyed from just south of the House, at
Dog Kennel Hill, though a great deal of imagination is now required to conjure up the buzzing complex
once there.
COLTON DESERTED MEDIEVAL VILLAGE, located centrally on the northern boundary, was built in the 12th Centuary and
inhabited by the tenants of the Knights Templar. During the period 1489/90 the land was emparked, forcing the tenants
to leave. The wooden houses have left post holes identified during digs in 1980 and 1993/4. Although the site is
now pasture, with careful observation the houses, gardens and streets can still be seen, along with the characteristic
"ridge and furrow" of the surrounding fields.
THE ICE HOUSE in Dawson's Wood was built in 1759, last used in 1884, damaged by open cast mining and then
demolished as it became dangerous. Part of the back wall and several dressed stones of differing sizes,
haphazardly spread, are all that are visible. In its time this structure housed all the ice used on the Estate.
It was collected in winter from the nearby fish ponds and stored in a deep subterranean chamber for use in the
summer months when it was shipped to the house by horse and cart.
THE RIDING SCHOOL is a mystery. It appears on a schematic drawn by Capability Brown in the 1750s, but was it ever built?
Its foundations can be seen from the house during periods of drought as in 1995. It would have been the Stable
Courtyard's mirror image on the southern side of the House. Now a flattened area is all that remains.
These are only a few of the interesting and exciting features that can be viewed within this green, pleasant
estate with its long views and historical connections.
