In the previous two issues, I began on the Wirral coast of Merseyside, before heading inland to Liverpool and Greater Manchester, and then on to Cheshire. I continue my journey through the north-west of England in this column, travelling further east into Derbyshire.
Fifty Years and Fifty Columns
Before I head up into the hills and down into the caves of the Peak District, I would like to pause to note a personal milestone: this is my 50th column for Current Archaeology! In the summer of 2016, I approached Matthew Symonds, then Editor of CA (now editor of its sister-magazine Current World Archaeology) to ask if he planned to examine the history of the magazine for its 50th birthday in March 2017. I had in mind a one-off feature about its founders Andrew and Wendy Selkirk, their explorations, and the lifetime of friendships that they had made though their work. Matthew suggested that I dig a little deeper into the history of what is the longest-running archaeology magazine in the world, and so this column was born. Since November 2016, it has been my privilege to share with you sites and names old and new, and to become a small part of the extended CA family. So here’s to you, CA readers, for your enthusiasm for a magazine that has stood the test of time, and here’s to the wonderful team at CA, including the Selkirk family, who remain an integral part of the magazine’s machinery.
Peak Prehistory
Unusually for my county-based surveys, I begin with a recent issue of the magazine: CA 356 (November 2019). It explored the Peak District in conjunction with the publication of John Barnatt’s new book, Reading the Peak District Landscape. For anyone interested in the (pre)history of this stunning part of the country, this is the book to read, and CA 356 provides a wonderful summary and some exceptional photographs. Other aspects of John’s work in the Peak District can be explored in CA 239 (February 2010) and CA 352 (July 2019).
