It has been suggested that Liddells was quarried by the Romans for stone to help build the nearby Hadrian’s Wall. Later quarries are shown on OS maps.

Quarry at the east end of the crag. Our friend Nathan says, “A good story-telling corner.”

We also discovered that there is an ancient monument on the land. This is a stone base for a medieval cross, probably wooden. It is thought such wayside crosses were often erected on pilgrim routes.

The mining survey carried out at the time of our purchase revealed that there had been five mines on the site. Before we named it, part of the land had been known as Pit Wood.

One of the spoil heaps where the surface soil has eroded to reveal the coal below.

There is a spring which has run continuously for a hundred and fifty years serving nearby farms and estates.

There are drainage grips (ditches) on the wetland and evidence that this area was once wooded. Trees have been planted in three separate areas in the twenty years before our ownership. As far as we know, no fertilisers or chemicals have been used. There has been periodic grazing.

There is evidence of two tracks on the land, one running north-south from the military road through what we now call the Orchard. We suspect this was used to extract material from mining. Early OS maps also indicate a track running east-west between the gates on the Top Grazing.