I have called upon the services and skills of the DPA for over 20 years now in my role as an archaeologist for both the National Park and Historic England. In that time volunteers have expertly repaired, rebuilt, strimmed, cut and cleared a multitude of archaeological sites and features, helping to improve their condition and ensure their continuing survival. I have been very lucky indeed to have met and worked with so many dedicated people over this time.

Although on the surface these conservation tasks may seem run of the mill and one off interventions, they are increasingly playing a key role in the wider management of Dartmoor’s landscapes in a time of increasing change. Through these tasks we are learning that archaeological management can deliver wider beneficial outcomes beyond the direct positives it brings to the heritage alone. These include positives for the natural environment, the management of the commons, supporting traditional livestock grazing, improving public access to archaeological sites and the beneficial impacts the work brings to the mental health of volunteers.

Much of this knowledge emerged via a number of pioneering conservation projects that have been successfully undertaken by the DPA. The three projects that personally come to my mind when I reflect on this are the bracken control trials undertaken at High House Waste, the Cairn Repair Project and in more recent years, the clearance of a prehistoric settlement on Buckland Common. As a result of the collective skills and experience gained from these (and other projects) the DPA volunteers are well equipped to offer a broad range of ‘effective management solutions’, to use the modern lingo, which will help deliver many of the more nuanced practical aspects that will emerge out of the Fursdon Review.  Such solutions include the eradication of tenacious bracken and scrub, establishing or reclaiming areas for grazing on archaeological sites and the planning and delivery of large-scale projects that tackle specific issues such as the damage to cairns.

This shift to longer term and more committed forms of conservation on archaeological sites is a gradual but distinct change that I have noticed over recent years. This will become increasingly important over future years due to uncertainties around agri-environmental schemes coupled with increasing demand for a more sustainable and integrated management approach.

Historic England and DNPA funding help initiate conservation works in the first instance and support the volunteer groups undertaking the task. Such works are increasingly targeted towards sites or areas of the moor where no other funding, such as that from agri-environmental schemes, is available. We also aim to help sites where other outcomes can also be delivered.

A good example of this multi-outcome approach are the forthcoming conservation works on Houndtor Down later this year. Here we hope to develop a plan, in conjunction with the graziers, to improve the condition of this internationally significant and designated archaeological landscape. Large areas of Houndtor Down are being lost under bracken and scrub.  Bracken that is covering both prehistoric and medieval sites will be cut and cleared away to stop the ongoing damage from the plants notorious rhizomes. Over time the clearance will lead to areas with a richer, more diverse mix of grassland species emerging that we hope will be kept open by grazing livestock. The bracken clearance will also support butterflies and waxcap fungi, both of which are losing ground on the Down. Relict boundaries such as prehistoric reaves and medieval corn ditches will be cleared of dense gorse and scrub. This will create firebreaks across the Down that will in turn help control wildfires and provide access for livestock into areas of denser vegetation where they can trample down bracken.

Other sites where similar work is planned include prehistoric sites on Holne and Buckfastleigh Moor, as well as at Great Nodden. Historic England will also help fund and support the ongoing works to clear the bronze age settlements at Outer Huccaby Ring and on Buckland Common. These projects will help improve the condition of Dartmoor’s renowned archaeology and, I hope, provide excellent exemplars of well-planned conservation. Please watch the usual sources of information for how to get involved in these forthcoming tasks.

ANDY CRABB (DNPA & HISTORIC ENGLAND ARCHAEOLOGIST)

Image: DPA volunteers at Huccaby Rings, by Jane Hannaford.