In his book Historic Building Mythbusting the archaeologist James Wright, a resident of Nottinghamshire, has used many case studies from the county to articulate some of the tales which are told about ancient architecture. These include stories of secret passages underneath Wollaton, ship timbers in Worksop, strange sculptures at Laxton parish church, stones used by archers to sharpen arrows in Wilford, and yarns about Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem being the oldest inn in England… but are any of these stories true?
This talk will offer the opportunity to investigate a collection of legends which are routinely believed and repeated about historic buildings across Nottinghamshire. The stories will be discussed in detail and their underlying truths revealed. Why is secret passage folklore so popular? Are there timbers reused from maritime vessels in the county? Why are there such weird carvings in churches? Did the soldiers who fought at Agincourt prepare their weapons in the Nottinghamshire? Just where is the oldest pub?
The speaker, James Wright (Triskele Heritage), is an award winning buildings archaeologist. He has two decades professional experience of ferreting around in people’s cellars, hunting through their attics and digging up their gardens. He hopes to find meaningful truths about how ordinary and extraordinary folk lived their lives in the mediaeval period. He is the author of the popular Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog and his book Historic Building Mythbusting will be released via The History Press on 6 June 2024.
