2014

NY7882 : The Black Dyke south of Watch Crags

taken 10 years ago, 3 km from Bower, Northumberland, England

The Black Dyke south of Watch Crags
The Black Dyke south of Watch Crags
The curved line that crosses the boggy moorland north of Wark Forest NY7882 : Watch Crags heading for the three pillars in the centre of Watch Crags NY7882 : The Three Pillars at Watch Crags is said to be a northern section of the Black Dyke. There has certainly been some form of ditch here used for the modern parallel drainage ditches dug in more recent times. George Spain in 1922 wrote the following description in his account of the Black Dyke (Archaeologia Aeliana, Ser.3, Vol.19, p.121-168):
"The view to the south-west from the top of Watch Crag across the Pundershaw basin is a fine one. Harelaw, with its little farm perched on the hill top, is a conspicuous feature NY7677 : Harelaw and the dark green ribbon of the ditch of the Black Dyke leaves the base of the three pillars and winds in a graceful curve for a mile across the moorland into the middle distance of the Pundershaw slopes."
The line he describes is through the forest these days and would be very difficult to follow. The ditch itself is not a particularly prominent feature here and doesn't appear to be accompanied by a bank (on its west side) as it is in the south part of its supposed course.
LinkExternal link
Black Dyke :: NY8066

An old boundary feature of unknown date and function that extends for 13 miles through Northumberland, from the South Tyne between Bardon Mill and Haydon Bridge, and the north Tyne west of Bellingham.
The Black Dyke: LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Andrew Curtis and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Uplands Rivers, Streams, Drainage Woodland, Forest Moorland Primary Subject: Ditch
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Ditch of the Black Dyke [7] · Hill [3] · Pillars [3] Other Photos: · Watch Crags ·
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NY7882, 21 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Andrew Curtis   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Friday, 27 June, 2014   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 28 June, 2014
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NY 7857 8201 [10m precision]
WGS84: 55:7.9194N 2:20.2585W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NY 78625 82073
View Direction
Southwest (about 225 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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