The Anglo-Saxons named it after their God Grim –
but it wasn’t until the 19th century that an excavation by
a Canon proved Grime’s Graves was a prehistoric flint mine,
not a burial ground. Jo Green paid a visit.
Please note that the postcard from series
ended in 2004 and that descriptions of shops and services were correct at
time of going to press
Where is it:
North of Thetford, Grime’s Graves is well signposted off
the A11. Now owned by English Heritage, it’s open to the public
all year round and is a vast network of 5000-year-old Neolithic
flint mines dug by settlers who used the flints for weapons and
tools – the best preserved Neolithic mine in Britain. The
area consists of about 350 hollows in the ground, marking the site
of the former mine shafts. During one excavation, archaeologists
found a perfectly-preserved fingerprint on an antler pick used to
excavate the mines between 2200 and 2500BC.
Sounds pretty spectacular?
It is. Some of the shafts are 30ft below the surface, a remarkable
feat for miners who dug the complex with picks and shovels made
of antlers and animal shoulder bones. The miners are thought to
have climbed into the shafts using rudimentary ladders or steps
cut into the sides. Under the ground they used lamps made by filling
a hollowed-out piece of chalk with animal fat. Soot stains can still
be seen in some places. The flints they dug were traded across Britain
for use as tools or weapons.
When was it discovered?
Until the late 19th century Grime’s Graves was just an unusual
feature in the landscape. Then from 1868-70 an excavation by Canon
William Greenwell, of Durham Cathedral, proved for the first time
that the area had been a flint mine. Just three of the mines can
be entered but only one is open to the public. Visitors descend
30ft into the shaft and can see a number of galleries leading off,
where the miners followed seams of flint as they came upon them.
Anything else?
According to www.britainexpress.com
no evidence of food or dishes has been found in the mines, suggesting
that the miners ate their meals in the fresh air.
In an abandoned shaft there also appears to be a fertility shrine,
presumably made after the miners failed to find any flint in a bid
to encourage the continued prosperity of the mine. A chalk figurine,
of an obese or pregnant woman, was placed on a ledge carved out
into the wall. Beside it lay a chalk phallus and a pile of antler
picks. In 1995, English heritage used laser technology to model
the inside of Greenwell’s Pit, one of the three existing mine
shafts. The aim eventually is to produce a 3D model of the whole
site.
The Team who are working on the 3D
modelling of the entire site
What else can we see?
Grime’s Graves itself is home to bats and rare wildlife and
is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Nearby are plenty of other
attractions including Thetford
Forest, with its walks, cycle trails and Go Ape high-wire course.
Thetford also has plenty of good pubs, cafes and restaurants if
you fancy a bite to eat.
Grime’s Graves is closed Mondays and Tuesdays from November
1 to March 31 but open the rest of the week from 10am to 4pm. For
more information see the English Heritage site at www.english-heritage.org.uk.
