Perhaps a place for the younger crowd to express their views and show their talents

The entries from Bassingham School are now posted on the Picture Gallery page.
Many thanks to all who entered.

More entries from Navenby School will be posted shortly.

Navenby Archaeology Group (NAG) recently performed a magnetic survey of a local Navenby field. The survey involves using some complicated equipment to measure very small changes in the earth's magnetism as you walk over the ground.

This is a photo of our archaeologist with the equipment. It is called a Fluxgate Magnetometer.
If, below the ground, there are remains of old buildings, such as foundations or walls or pits where people burned fires to make pots or forge metal, these may have left residues that can alter the magnetism. Your small compass won't find them but this equipment is sensitive enough to perhaps detect the small variations and show us a pattern of where the buildings and work places were located as long ago as 2000 years when the Romans were living in Navenby or even before they arrived.

NAG is surveying several of the fields along the old Roman Road to try to find out where the Romans and other ancient settlers lived and worked.

As well as using the complicated equipment, many people believe that much simpler tools can be used to make the same discoveries. A method called 'DOWSING' has been used for centuries to locate sources of water underground before digging wells. No one knows how or why it works but some people seem to be able to find things below the ground just by concentrating and using something in their hands that moves when they walk over what they are looking for. Two metal rods or a small crystal on a string are common tools for a dowser.

While the archaeologist was walking the field with his equipment, NAG members and friends had a go with the Dowsing Rods and, after a little instruction, all sorts of interesting effects were observed. We will have to wait and see if any of these agree with what the scientific method tells us but it was good fun to try
Peter Fridlington and his grandson, Ian, both seemed to be natural 'dowsers', managing to get their rods to magically cross at certain places in the field.

Ian wrote me a letter about his experience and gave the day 9 1/2 out of 10 marks for a fun outing! He also contributed a drawing of his efforts with the rods.

Thanks Ian!

You can learn more about magnetometers and dowsing.

Gridnine Geophysics uses magnetometers to locate archaeological remains.

Fluxgate magnetometers were developed during WW2 to detect submarines Fluxgate History

NASA uses them aboard spacecraft to detect magnetic fields NASA Spacecraft

You can make a simple magnetometer Building a magnetometer

This website Wicki on Dowsing will tell you more about the history and methods of dowsing and about the various tests that have been made to see if it really works. You will have to make up your own mind.

If you would like to join in some fun stuff, NAG will be making more surveys and picking up bits of old pottery from local fields in 2008. You have to be 16 to come along by yourself or you must drag an adult along with you. Adults are welcome too, of course.

If you would like more information about NAG activities, visit the NAG Website