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Cherie's Place – Thought for the Week
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Tag Archives: Flodden Field
English Heritage Angel Awards
The English Heritage Angel Awards, celebrate the efforts of local people who saved historic buildings and local places. They were founded by Andrew Lloyd Weber and are supported by the Telegraph.
The awards take place annually and the winners from the 2013 shortlist are due to be announced at an awards ceremony in London on 21st October 2013. There were four categories in this years Angel Awards:
- The best rescue or repair of a historic place of worship
- The best rescue of a historic industrial building or site
- The best craftsmanship employed on a heritage rescue
- The best rescue of a listed building, scheduled monument, registered park, garden or battlefield, protected wreck site or conservation area
The ‘Remembering Flodden Project for Flodden Battlefield, Branxton, Northumberland’ was one of the projects that was shortlisted for ‘The Best Rescue of Any Other Type of Historic Building or Site‘:
An Excerpt from the Submission
- Flodden is one of only three locations in the British Isles where a reigning monarch died in battle. Hastings and Bosworth are renowned but Flodden, where James IV of Scotland died in 1513, is less well-known.
- A large granite cross erected in 1910 on top of Piper’s Hill became neglected and covered in weeds. A faded interpretation board gave a limited account of the battle and a short footpath to the monument was the only access to the battlefield. Visitors asked “Where is Flodden Field?”, then a little later “Is this all there is?” Flodden needed to be remembered.
- In 2003 a group of local volunteers set up: Remembering Flodden Project. Permission was granted by the landowner for a new 2 km Battlefield Trail that was in turn funded by the Local Heritage Initiative. Seats and new interpretation boards describing aspects of the battle were positioned along the trail and a larger board and map installed at the car park.
- Donations for an A3 leaflet help pay for the reprints and petrol for the mower that is used to cut the grass each week. Last year we produced a DVD, The Battle of Flodden – Then and Now and this year we will publish a battlefield guidebook. There is no visitor centre on the Battlefield but the village bought the disused phone box from BT for £1 and this is now ‘The Smallest Visitor Centre in the World’. It contains a detailed map of the routes taken to the battle by the two opposing armies, information about local places of interest that are relevant to the Flodden story and audio and WiFi links.
- The rescue of this site started in 2003 and work has been ongoing since then. All work is done by a small group of local volunteers and the site has earned a Quality Assured commendation, and in 2012 won a Love Northumberland award. This year heralds the 500th anniversary of the Battle and as we approach, visitor numbers have increased tenfold (we expect 20,000 this year) and the Battlefield Trail is used for conducted walks and talks.
Find out more about Flodden Battlefield
See the Heritage List entry for Flodden Field
My review of the battlefield guidebook can be found here.
Flodden Field
It is my turn at Vision & Verb and today I am talking about the The Battle of Flodden and my recent visit to the site where that tragic event took place. My visit coincided with the 500th anniversary of the battle.
Excavations at Flodden
One of he events that was taking place on the 500th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Flodden was an archaeological dig in one of the fields where the main conflict took place. The dig hoped to find the remains of bodies of those who had fallen. The bodies would not be disturbed, but left in situ and the site would be marked as a mass war grave.
The Battle of Flodden Why & How by Clive Hallam-Baker
Synopsis (from back cover):
Every step in thes fields is a step into history…
Why was the battle fought at all?
How did the armies come to meet at Branxton?
Why did the Scots move from Flodden Hill?
Why did Surry plan his attack?
Why did Home & Huntly leave the field?
These are just some of the questions asked about the Battle of Flodden. There are answers but they may not be the ones you expect…
The battle of Flodden why & how explans the strategies and tactics of Flodden. Describes the ground over which the Battle was fought and takes you along the battlefield trail as if you were a soldier on that fateful day.
Review:
I picked this book up from the Coach House which is just around the corner from where the battle of Flodden took place. It looked interesting and I thought it might add to my knowledge of the battle. As my visit co-incided with the 500th anniversary of the battle I intended to explore the area again.
The book is informative and can be used in different ways. Before describing the battle the book gives an overview of the way of life and the way warfare was conducted during the middle ages. The book goes on to list the main protagonists and the types of weapons that were used during the battle and why and how the battle were fought, the consequences of the battle and how the outcome shaped the lives of both nations.
The topography of the land is described accompanied by colour photographs which help to illustrate the contours of the land.
The battle field trail is covered from the points of view of both the Scottish and the English, giving a feel for what it could be like for those involved in the combat. A wider tour of the battlefield is included which is intended for walking, cycling or driving. During my stay I used this trail and found it very interesting and informative.
The book concludes with other useful information about the area and Flodden connected sites, including suitable places for refreshments.
I thoroughly recommend the book which can be purchased from ‘The Remembering Flodden‘ website.
Newcastle & Crookham – Day Five
The 9th September was the 500th anniversary of The Battle of Flodden which took place in 1413. We visited the battlefield straight after breakfast whilst it was still quiet and there were only a few other people about. One of those people was a kilted Scotsman with whom we got into a discussion. We talked about the battle which led onto discussions about politics and politicians. We agreed that politicians have a tendency to behave like overgrown school children. He commented that he would like to think that we had learned from the battle and that we (and our political leaders) wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.
Access to the field itself has been refreshed and a zig-zag path has been added across one of the fields to allow easier access for those who are less mobile. This is good in one way but it detracts a little from the atmosphere of the place. As we made to leave the hill where the memorial stands it was starting to get busy. In the distance the first bus pulled up and I saw someone with a very long flag pole sporting the English flag. As we made our way down the hill they were making their way up. As they came close I heard ‘I am Justin from the BBC’ and as I turned I noticed Justin was talking to the flag bearer and his two companions. They looked at me and asked the quickest way to the monument. I answered and then we beat a hasty retreat to the car park where we noticed some people dressed up ready for re-enactment of the battle.
We left them to it and made our way to Holy Island to visit the ruined priory. The museum explaining the history of the site is much improved since my last visit many years ago and we also took the opportunity to visit St Mary’s Church which is right next to the priory.
Unfortunately our chosen tea shop wasn’t able to provide any sandwiches that day due to staff shortages so we settled on lunch in the local pub where I had a very delicious crab sandwich. The weather looked a little uncertain so we decided against a stroll along the beach and departed the island to visit the churches of Ladykirk and Norham. Before arriving at the first church there was a slight detour through Berwick for shopping list pads… I decided to stay in the car!!
After visiting the churches we had a leisurely drive in the countryside near the hotel before returning there for afternoon tea. We had convivial conversation with some of the other guests, which we all continued over dinner as well.
Peaceful Fields of Death
In Memoriam
Today it is 500 hundred years since the tragic battle of Flodden took place. King James IV of Scotland had come south of the border and was killed in the clash to become the last monarch from the British Isles to die in battle.
A moments silence is in order…
This photo depicts the monument that was erected on Piper’s Hill to remember the fallen of both sides. The memorial cross is positioned approximately where the English formed their battle lines. A plaque on the north side of the monument states:
FLODDEN
1513
TO THE BRAVE OF BOTH NATIONS
ERECTED 1910
More information about the battle can be found in my Flodden index.
52 Photos Project – Gallery 46 – Horizon
This weeks prompt was:
Where the sky meets the earth.
That thin line, the farthest point in
your field of vision.
Where are you?
What do you see?
I see many things on the horizon, most of them are beautiful and uplifting.
But once again I am drawn to this haunting horizon. Flodden field has an ethereal presence about it.
PhotoHunt – Symbolic
The Flodden memorial stands in memory of the tragic loss of lives during the Battle of Branxton Moor.
More of my posts on this subject, giving further information on the battle which is more commonly known as the Battle of Flodden Field can be found here.
For more of this weeks PhotoHunt pictures check out Whistlestop PhotoHunt.
Cherie's Other Place 