Down Farm Museum
If you like History and Archaeology , there is a hidden secret on Cranborne Chase . The Down Farm Museum. It houses the lifes work of Martin Green.
Down Farm has belonged to Martins family since the 1930s . He started to take an interest in the archaeology present on the farm when just eleven. Cranborne Chase is a remarkable area of Britain. A good place for humans to live and humans have left their mark on Down Farm for millennia . From the Paleolithic to the present people have been dropping things, loosing things and throwing things away on the chalky soil. The land is dotted with archaeology, Martin has found so many archaeological sites and artefacts on the farm it feels as if the past was a buzzing busy place filled with human activity. Quiet now in comparison, the area has a smattering of small and beautiful old villages like Sixpenny Handily and Gussage St Michael.
I had come to visit the Museum to look at an impressive collection of flint tools. I'm learning as much as I can about early toolmaking for an upcoming project. It was amazing to be able to see so many tools laid out on the table tops and be able to handle them.
What I hadn't expected to see were metal artefacts, from Bronze age right through to Tudor and beyond. Jewellery, buckles, fastenings, domestic implements and tools......
Jewellers did then as always, cater for all parts of society. These rings are Romano-British. They represent the demographic on the land at Down Farm, workers, farmers and peasants who lost them going about their daily duties producing food.
Martin digs out some interesting metalwork for closer inspection.
The collections of rings and thimbles were lovely as were the lead votives. The patina on the brass and bronze varying colours of deep green. The thimbles are hand forged into that classic thimble cup shape and everyone a bit different. The hand punched dots on the thimbles were slightly wobbly and very satisfying.
Some things were mysteries though........ any ideas what this thing might be?
Visits to Down Farm Museum are by appointment .