Category: Aerial Photography

Newcastle Race Course - lidar

15/2/2026

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LIDAR (DSM, 1m) copyright Environment Agency (2022) - enhanced for archaeology.

There are extensive remains of [Medieaval, broad] ridge and furrow in what later became Gosforth Park. It survives in the fields and woods north of the old tramway, patchily between the tramway and the racecourse, and very well under the golf course within the race track. Much is clearly visible, but there are places where it is apparent only on aerial photos. Most of it runs roughly north-south; there are some distinct blocks (furlongs); curved and straight ridges; a range of widths from 5.5 to 11.5 metres; and a patch of double-crested ridges. There are also probable traces of enclosure banks which were later removed for the park.

A rare survival of the former common fields of Gosforth Common.

Tyne & Wear Sitelines: 165

Gosforth Park, Brandling House (Gosforth Hall or House)
Tyne & Wear Sitelines: 7701

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Iron Age enclosures at Morley Hill Farm

14/2/2026

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LIDAR (DSM, 1m) copyright Environment Agency (2022) - enhanced for archaeology.

Location: NZ 2249 7227

Tyne & Wear Sitelines: 1330

Evaluation in 2015 identified two enclosed settlements with a possible third to the east.

Archaeological excavation of two prehistoric enclosures took place in 2017.

Enclosure 1, which survives as a low earthwork (visible on lidar above) was not at threat from development and so was left in-situ.

Enclosure 2 was trapezium-shaped and enclosed four roundhouses . The entrance was on the southern side. The enclosure ditch measured between 3.5m and 5.5m wide and was between 1.43m and 2.13m deep.

Enclosure 3 (which extended beyond the development site) enclosed eight roundhouses. The entrance was in the south-east.

Cox, S. and Gaunt, J. (2018). Enclosed Iron Age settlements on land east of Morley Hill Farm, Hazlerigg, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Headland Archaeology.

Open-cast coal mining & Northumberlandia

LIDAR (DSM, 1m) copyright Environment Agency (2022) - enhanced for archaeology.

Northumberlandia (the “Lady of the North”) is a huge land art sculpture in the shape of a reclining female figure, which was completed in 2012, near Cramlington, Northumberland, northern England. It is in the care of Northumberland Wildlife Trust.

Made of 1.5 million tonnes of earth from neighbouring Shotton Surface Mine, it is 34 metres (112 feet) high and 400 metres (1,300 feet) long, set in a 19 hectares (47 acres) public park. Its creators claim that it is the largest land sculpture in female form in the world.
Northumberlandia

3D model of Northumberlandia on sketchfab

LIDAR (DSM, 1m) copyright Environment Agency (2022) - enhanced for archaeology.

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Berwick upon Tweed - lidar view

13/2/2026

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Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland.

Medieval & post-medieval fortifications.

Scheduled Monument protected by law.
https://historicengland.org.uk/.../list-entry/1015968...

Plan from English Heritage:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/.../berwick-upon...

3D model on Sketchfab:
https://skfb.ly/ptYtr

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Bolam, Northumberland

12/2/2026

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LIDAR (DTM, 1m) copyright Environment Agency (2022) - enhanced for archaeology.

An Iron Age defended settlement on Slate Hill 300m NW of Bolam Lake. Scheduled Monument. Roughly semicircular in shape and measuring a maximum of 98m E-W by 62m N-S within four concentric ramparts on the N and W sides. A single rampart survives on the E side where it has been damaged by surface quarrying. The earth and stone ramparts measure 4m to 6m wide and are 1.4m high, terraced into the sloping hillside. There is a probable original entrance on the W side.
https://keystothepast.info/.../results.../Site-Details/...

Just S of Bolam Lake and the road is a rectilinear ditched enclosure with entrance to the E at Bolam Low House. Considered to be a native settlement of the Romano-British period.
https://keystothepast.info/.../results.../Site-Details/...

Medieval broad rig & furrow curved (reverse-S) ploughing partly destroyed by post-medieval surface quarrying and bell pits from coal mining.

Top left, W of a tree and not hugely different in appearance from a bell pit or spoil heap, is the remains of a Bronze Age round cairn (tumulus), spread out by later ploughing. The stone and earth cairn is 11m in diameter and stands to a maximum height of 1.5m. A large hole in the centre of the cairn is the result of partial antiquarian excavation. A Scheduled Monument.
https://keystothepast.info/.../results.../Site-Details/...

On the left, an oval-shaped Iron Age hillfort, or defended settlement & Scheduled Monument. Thought to have been the location of a tower house (Peel) built in the mid 12th century, but dilapidated and abandoned by the 13th century.

https://keystothepast.info/.../results.../Site-Details/...

The deserted village of Bolam extends W-E across to the right side just bove the road. It was first mentioned in documents in 1168. It was large enough to be granted a market and fair in 1305 when it consisted of a green enclosed by two rows of houses. An agreement to partition the township was made in 1597 and represents the first recorded stage in the depopulation of the village. It provided for the construction of a hedged dike (clearly visible on lidar) running north-south dividing the village and township into two parts.

During the 18th century the number of houses remaining in the village gradually declined. Hodgson recorded that the last of the houses had disappeared soon after 1810. The only surviving buildings were the vicarage, schoolhouse, a farmstead, public house, two cottages and the church and hall. The site is now emparked and only the hall, vicarage and church survive. St Andrew's Church was founded in Anglo-Saxon times, its Saxon tower being the most distinguised feature.

You can see a row of crofts on the south side of the village but those to the north of the former village green have been largely destroyed.

https://keystothepast.info/.../results.../Site-Details/...

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Agriculture envelope marks - a lidar view

12/2/2026

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LIDAR (DSM, 1m) copyright Environment Agency (2022) - enhanced for archaeology.

Hartburn, Northumberland.

Agriculture not archaeology.

Fields showing faint diagonal "envelope marks" created by modern ploughing. Here in lidar but often seen as crop or soil marks on aerial photos.

"The 'envelope-pattern' is produced by agricultural operations which follow a spiral course, as opposed to going up-and-down the field."

An interesting reference from 1975 and of some relevance here is:
Some pitfalls in the interpretation of air photographs by D. R. Wilson pages 59-70.
In
Aerial reconnaissance for archaeology. Edited by D. R. Wilson (1975). Research Report No. 12. The Council for British Archaeology.
Archive Link

aerial_reconnaissance_for_archaeology__pitfalls_.pdf
File Size:	2521 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Dovecote Hill (Bavington)

12/2/2026

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LIDAR (DSM, 1m) copyright Environment Agency (2022) - enhanced for archaeology.

bing satellite photo (2026).

Dovecote Hill settlement (Bavington).

"An oval earthwork containing the remains of a rectangular building in its north west quadrant. The character of the whole is non-defensive."

"Enclosure looks more like an Iron Age fort with an annexe, or else a Romano-British type ditched settlement. A radial pattern of field walls and a trackway are clearly pre-broad rigg. The hill has been ploughed but with little apparent damage to the field system."

K2P: N9257

Homilton Farm from the east. The Folly (a dovecote) can be seen on the left. Photo A Curtis (2020).

The dovecote close to the settlement and visible in the photograph above (left skyline) was built as an eyecatcher in the 18th century for the landscaped park at Bavington Hall. It was built to look like a miniature castle in Gothick style. This is a Grade II Listed Building.

K2P: N9265

List Entry Number: 1044930

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The Alnwick Garden

11/2/2026

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The Alnwick Garden, Northumberland.

3D LIDAR Landscape: https://skfb.ly/prQNv

https://www.alnwickgarden.com/

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Old Shipley medieval village (Eglingham)

11/2/2026

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Old Shipley medieval village (Eglingham, Northumberland).

A small L-shaped area consisting of rectangular and sub-rectangular enclosures with smaller rectangular enclosures obviously remains of steadings within. The banks have an average width of 1m and an average ht of 0.4m; the smaller enclosures have central hollows within the banks, some of which contain dressed stones. A stream runs east-west through the northern half of the area.

Documentary references: 1296, 1336, 1361, 1580, 1694, 1756. Extensive earthwork remains north and east of a current cottage/farm. Rows of houses, tofts and a green.

K2P: N4412

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Close House Golf Course - lidar view

11/2/2026

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My local golf-course is a good place for learning about what you can see using LIDAR. I am using DTM LIDAR this time, enhanced in colour by my usual preference for exploring archaeology in the field. The golf course uses grounds that were formerly the parkland of a big mansion house, and I need to see below the trees. You can see tees, grassy mounds, bunkers and greens of the modern golf course along with some remaining features from past land use including a cricket ground, old tracks, buidings, ha-ha walls, and a small area remaining of rigg & furrow. On the enhanced LIDAR, white shows banks and black shows pits and ditches, grey is flat land, and blue slopes to the south. Contours created from the LIDAR at an interval of 20cm gives you an idea of the scale of earthworks that you can see. Some features have a height difference even smaller than that (like eges of rough grass) but perhaps helped here by the managed short turf.

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Chesterfield Common near Steel

11/2/2026

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Suprising survival of a Romano-British settlement on Chesterfield Common near Steel, Northumberland, UK). It is located just east of a large former ironstone mine and hand-shaped shale spoil-heaps, dug in a region of agricultural terraces, extensive rig & furrow, and now recent industry (BAE Systems gun testing range). The small native farmstead (just right of centre) shows remains of stone-built round houses inside.

There is a 3D lidar landscape of this area here:
https://skfb.ly/pnoXD

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Newcastle Race Course - lidar

Iron Age enclosures at Morley Hill Farm

Berwick upon Tweed - lidar view

Bolam, Northumberland

Agriculture envelope marks - a lidar view

Dovecote Hill (Bavington)

The Alnwick Garden

Old Shipley medieval village (Eglingham)

Close House Golf Course - lidar view

Chesterfield Common near Steel

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