I once had a consultation from the British Museum on an export licence for a 'prehistoric Derbyshire standing stone' someone had bought at auction from abroad - when I looked at the photos it was a gatepost 😀

Haha! Brilliant! Coincidentally, my neighbours have a standing gatepost in the middle of their lawn that was brought from the family farm in Ireland by previous owners; the need to keep in physical contact with a past is important. There are certainly parallels in prehistory, too.

I think some might originate from the church in Old Glossop, some might be 18th-19th century around the 'druidic revival' and someone once told me that a local was knocking them out quite recently and putting them in walls! There is a wider tradition in northern England too.

As a Glossop resident and an archaeologist, the heads here are a fascinating conundrum, although largely they seem medieval rather than Iron Age. I'd love to do a proper project mapping then, and exploring meaning and function.

Oh no! But don't worry, just get well, stay wrapped up. There's other walks in planning, too... So watch this space.

Honestly, this is my favourite Wander so far. I think... *Checks notes. But come and join me for a mellifluous meander amidst medieval, er... Stuff. Glossop is genuinely crammed with so much archaeology & history... Let's explore it together. #Derbyshire #HighPeak

"of course I love your beef, it's always so tender..."

*Scree... Scrit... Scree

"See..."

Even now I sometimes find that sort of link to the past a little unsettling, somehow too personal. I find old knots (shoelaces & the like) genuinely disturbing. For example, I have a Victorian shoe & it bothers me that the hands that tied them are long dead. Or playing with a Georgian child's toy.

Also, if you look closely, you can see long linear scratch marks in the glaze... The marks made by someone's knife as they cut food. The human side to pottery. I wonder what they were talking about as they made those marks?

Looks like a very fine late 18th or early 19th century transfer printed design. The blue tint on the underside glaze where it has pooled around the edge suggests it is a pearlware, which dates to 1780 - 1830ish. I'd love to say it was older, but alas... Late medieval/Tudor? Sounds lovely!