Dr Oliver Creighton (PI), Prof. Henry French (CI)
Knowledge Transfer Fellowship
Detective work on the historic landscape surrounding a Grade II* listed country house has begun as part of a two-year Knowledge Transfer project between the University of Exeter and the Poltimore House Trust.
The evolution of the estate on the outskirts of Exeter will be explored with help from community groups and schools. They will play an important role in finding critical information about the development of the gardens and landscape around Poltimore House. Part of this project is to establish a blueprint for engaging local populations in the development of landscape heritage and for promoting community ownership of research.
BBC 2’s ‘Restoration’ television programme featured Poltimore House, with a focus on restoring this important building and its architecture. This new project combines historical and archaeological approaches to discover more about the way the landscape was once used and how it has changed over time from private to public use. It went from family ownership with a deer park and stylised gardens for the social elite to public re-use as a wartime refuge for Dover College. In the latter end of the 20th century Poltimore House accommodated a maternity ward as part of Exeter Hospitals Group in 1963. The landscape around the property contains rich archaeological evidence for all periods of the past, ranging from find-spots for prehistoric artefacts through to an HQ for the Royal Observer Corps set up to monitor A-bombs falling on the South West.
Archaeologist Dr Oliver Creighton and Historian Professor Henry French are conducting the research alongside project officer Dr Penny Cunningham from the University of Exeter in collaboration with Poltimore House Trust. They will equip local interest groups, school children and individuals with the skills to investigate archaeology, including the use of geophysical survey and earthwork analysis, as well as traditional historical research techniques such as the use of maps and archive records.
Dr Cunningham commented: ‘Encouraging the local community to contribute to the ongoing research is a really important part of the project in helping to discover the hidden mysteries of the Poltimore estate. The results from the research will be used to create an interactive website to widen access to this remarkable landscape. A virtual environment, involving virtual tours that will have commentaries based on the research findings showing geophysical surveys, aerial photographs, interactive plans, images, and audio and video observations.’
The project should transform access to Poltimore House’s grounds as a community heritage resource enabling a wider range of people to gain a rich understanding of the changes in the landscape.
Dr Claire Donovan, Secretary of Poltimore House Trust, said: ‘This project provides us with a fantastic opportunity to bring a mix of serious archaeological and historical study to enhance our knowledge of Poltimore and the estate. We are looking forward to this project opening up our understanding and engaging new communities with interests in Poltimore’s heritage.’
More details on this KTF project can be found on our funded research pages.