Connor makes historic discovery

 

Calderstones School Year 8 pupil Connor Hannaway has made history by discovering a unique carving on the Neolithic monument his school is named after.

The bird carving can only be seen in certain lights, and has previously escaped the notice of archaeologists and historians for hundreds of years.

Richard MacDonald, Heritage Stories Maker at The Reader Organisation, introduced Connor and his classmates to the Calderstones as part of a school trip to Calderstones Park. The monument pre-dates the Pyramids and some markings were made as early as 5,000 years ago. Connor alerted Richard to his discovery when he asked what the bird symbolises, having spotted the carving among the patterns of spirals, arcs and ring marks.

The exact date of the etching remains unknown, but it is possible that the bird belongs to the later period of markings from the medieval period.

This finding could be an exciting prelude of even bigger things to come, as The Reader Organisation alongside National Museums Liverpool hosts The Big Dig at Calderstones Park between Monday 27th April and Friday 8th May. With the park open to public excavation for the first time ever, over 40 volunteers from the local community will join local archaeologists in some truly ground-breaking work, hoping to find further evidence of the earliest settlers to the area.

As Richard says, “Connor’s discovery has never been recorded in any of the professional papers written about the Calderstones ā€“ as far as we know he’s the first to find it! This shows how sometimes the untrained eye can see things that experts miss. That’s why we’d like to invite local people to come and join in our community archaeological dig at Calderstones Park to find out more about the early history of this part of Liverpool.”

 

Liverpool Waterfront