This time the children were able to take part in an archaeological dig at the ruins of the old Dob Hall next to the railway.
Dob Hall was never a grand building and was only a small holding, but took its name through a resident who lived there in the 1880's called Mr Bowler. Story as it that he would ride through the village in all his finery as if he was lord of the Manor. Local people started to refer to his house as Dob Hall in jest at his delusions of grandeur. The name stuck and the house eventually fell out of use and has been derelict for many decades. All that survives now are short stumps of the remaining walls of the building buried under years of undergrowth decay and soil.
The remains had recently been dated to circa 1780 due to the style of stone work. Although we couldn't promise anything as spectacular as King Richard III, we still hoped to discover the original internal floor of the building.
Within minutes of the children starting to dig signs of the floor became apparent and by the end of the session the children had discovered areas of stone slabbed floor, a fire hearth and an historic area covered in terracotta tiles made by a long lost company called "Smith" from Loughborough. We would be very keen to learn more about "Smith" of Loughborough if any readers know the history of the company.
The children were also hard at work decoratively painting almost 60 bird boxes which had been made by our volunteers and the children at Castle View Nursery. These will be put up around the Nunckley Trail and alongside the Mountsorrel Railway before the nesting season gets under way.
There was certainly a big buzz of excitement from everyone who was there. Here are some feedback comments from those attending:
Thank you for organising it all. We all had a really great time. The girls were thoroughly inspired by their archaeological dig! See you soon. - Jackie
Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable day - Eric Makin
Thank you we really enjoyed it, and hope to come again soon. - Tracey, John, Harry and Ruby
We would like to say a big thanks to Caroline Bowler for organising and leading another fantastic event and also to all our many Ecology Group volunteers who assisted and made the event possible. Thanks as well to the Mercury News Agents on Leicester Road, Mountsorrel for sponsoring refreshments for those attending.
Our Wildlife Warriors events are aimed at children aged 3-11 and their parents/carers. They are FREE to attend and the next event is planned for April. Keep checking the website for further details.
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