Creswell guide indesign

Creswell
Crags
Museum
& Education Centre
Education Visit Guide
Virtually the Ice Age
www.creswell-crags.org.uk
Contents
Essential
page
Essential information
1
information
Museum full contact details
Museum facilities
Creswell Heritage Trust
Creswell Crags Museum and Education Centre
Crags Road, Welbeck , Worksop
Notts. S80 3LH
Coach and Car Parking
Refreshments Machine
Crags Meadow - an outdoor classroom
Telephone:
Fax:
Email:
Web Address:
The Museum and Education Centre
Please make your booking with the education team.
Wheelchair Access
What you can do at
Creswell Crags
Museum opening times
Gift Shop
February - October
Monday - Sunday • 10.30 - 4.30 pm
Exhibition and Activity Room
How to find us
What is Creswell Crags
2
The Limestone Gorge and the Caves
8
01909 720378
01909 724726
[email protected]
www.creswell-crags.org.uk
Hot Water
November - January
Sundays Only • 10.30 - 4.30 pm
The Cave Tour
The Cave Story
The Gorge and Crags Meadow
How to find us
The car park is open 9.00am - 5.00pm during the
times indicated above.
The Museum and Education Centre
Your visit to Creswell Crags
First Aid
12
3.1 Preparing for your visit
Creswell Crags can be found 6 miles from the M1
at Junction 30 on the B6042 (Crags Road) half a
mile from Creswell village.
Group size
Although the museum can accommodate large
groups, a maximum of 25 people are allowed in the
cave at one time.
3.2 Organisation on the day
A619
to Worksop
M1
A616
to Sheffield
NORTH
Barlborough
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8
III
Whitwell
III
III
III
III
III
III
A619
to Chesterfield
III
III
II
III
A61
III
III
III
6
B6042
IIII
I I I I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Clowne
Creswell
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The Loans Box
J30
M1
SOUTH
Elmton
IIIIIIIII
The Virtual Museum
16
A61
Ideas for school before
or after the visit
A619
IIIIIIIIII
Example organisation tables
1
Creswell
Crags
What is
Creswell Crags?
Crags Meadow
- an outdoor classroom
All of the cave entrances have grills. This is partly
for safety as well as protecting the remaining
archaeological deposits.
A two minute walk from the Museum and
Education Centre car park will take you to the east
end of the limestone gorge and to Crags Meadow.
From the eastern end of the gorge a path leads
around the base of the cliff and provides access to
Boat House and Church Hole caves.
Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge with caves
and rockshelters. The site is a unique national
education and scientific resource which tells
This landscaped area
provides a fantastic space
to develop education
activities on the site.
As well as an open space,
the facilities on Crags
Meadow include a small
amphitheatre set against
a low limestone cliff with
small caves, a shelter and
a picnic area for lunch.
A series of information points are situated at
different points within the gorge which provide
pictures and information about the archaeological
excavations and the Ice Age.
the story of how our Ice Age ancestors used the
caves as camps and adapted to the changing
environmental conditions; how they survived to
become us today.
Creswell Crags
Crags Meadow
Shelter
Picnic
Area
Engraving of a horse from Robin Hood Cave
The limestone gorge
and the caves
Streams which ran beneath ice sheets about
500,000 years ago carved the dramatic limestone
gorge of Creswell Crags. The gorge is about
500 metres long and reaches a
height of 50 metres at most.
On each side of the gorge, caves
and rock shelters have been carved
out of the limestone. In total
24 caves are listed,
although only
the larger
caves have been excavated and
archaeological remains found. The
largest cave, Robin Hood Cave,
runs up to 50 metres into
the cliff.
The collections of animal bones and flint stone
tools, excavated from the caves, are amongst the
most important in the world for understanding
how our ancestors coped in the harsh and changing
climate of the Ice Age over tens of thousands of
years ago. This is a story of special relevance to a
modern world faced with global climatic change
and the need for a sustainable environmental
future.
Visiting Creswell Crags places you directly in
touch with a past which evokes deep emotions
about survival, extraordinary landscapes and the
sophisticated cultures displayed by Stone Age
people through their art and tool making.
Creswell Point
Cut marked hare
2
3
Activity Room
A range of hands-on resources are available within
the activity room including two touch screen
kiosks. Masters of activity sheets are available for
photocopying on request.
If you would like the Museum to copy the activity
sheets for you there is a charge to cover the cost of
the paper. Please ask for details.
Other resources within the Activity Room include
a large wall hanging depicting Creswell Crags as
it might have been 30,000 years ago. Temporary
exhibitions are also displayed in this room.
Age of Ice exhibition plan
Exhibition Plan
Tour leaving the
Museum and
Education Centre
3
entrance
B
The Museum
and Education Centre
Age of Ice Exhibition
This exhibition explores the prehistoric people and
environment of the last Ice Age. Stone tools and
replicas of some of the earliest art in Britain is
displayed as well as the bones of Ice Age animals,
all of which have been excavated from the caves. A
plan and description of the displays is given on page
5 and 6.
Usual opening times for the Museum are:
February - October
10.30 - 4.30 pm • Monday - Sunday
November - January
10.30 - 4.30 pm • Sundays Only
Theatre
The theatre accommodates a variety of audio-visual
presentations for different audiences. Teachers lead
some of these. Up to 15 people can be seated in
the theatre at any one time.
There are opportunities to make group bookings
outside these times, ring 01909 720378 for further
information.
The ground plan shows the public areas of the
museum.
G
5
C
1
2
F
H
6
Using a mixture of genuine bone remains and
reconstructions, this cabinet highlights hyaenas as
the agent responsible for bringing in large amounts
of bone into the caves.
A
9
8
E What would you see in an Ice Age
hunters tool bag?
7
A - H Exhibition Cabinets
1 - 9 Exhibition Panels
The contents of the display includes reproduction
knifes, spears, needles and other materials available
to Ice Age people.
to the shop
F Working with flint
A flint knapper sits amongst a pile of flint waste
while he produces a number of knifes and points for
a hunting trip. His fur trousers and cape keep him
warm in the Ice Age environment.
Age of Ice Exhibition an introduction to the content of the
display cabinets:
G Who are your relations?
The choice of presentations includes:
A 10 minute video which describes the
archaeological history of Creswell Crags and
provides some information about the people,
the animals and the environment during the
Ice Age. The target audience of the video is
Year 6 and above. A transcript of the video is
available on request.
Activity
A set of overheads projected onto a screen
for a custom made presentation which
links to specific education objectives. This
facility is usually led by the group leader or
teacher. A set of overheads is supplied by
the Museum. An information sheet, which
includes a script, is available on request.
Museum Building Plan
A series of video titles available from English
Heritage. A full list of titles is available on
request.
4
Hyaena display in the exhibition
D Clues to a hyaena den
E
The Museum and Education Centre is situated at
the eastern end of the gorge.
Age of Ice
4
D
A What was the Ice Age like?
People have used the caves at Creswell for more
than over 30,000 years. But where did these
people come from and why were the Neanderthals
replaced by modern humans? The replica human
skulls and tools in this cabinet chart the story of
human evolution over the last 2 million years.
A large graph in this display shows the rise and fall
of the temperatures during the last Ice Age and its
effects on sea levels and plants and animals of the
world at that time.
B Grip of Ice
H Art and decoration
A globe shows how much the arctic ice sheets
spread north to cover Eurasia and America and just
how close the ice came to Creswell at the height
of the last cold phase.
Four small pieces of bone provide a unique insight
into the life of Ice Age people at Creswell Crags.
This display shows replica art artefacts created
about 12,500 years ago which include an engraving
of horses head, a human figure, a geometric design
and a shaped bone pendent.
C Homes for meat eaters...
The display shows a hyaena in a reconstructed den.
This modern specimen would have been smaller
than its Ice Age ancestors.
5
The Virtual Museum
Creswell Crags has a large presence on the world
wide web. Virtually the Ice Age web site provides a
rich source of information about the
site and its archaeology.
The elements of this virtual museum include:
three themed sections which explore:
the people in the Ice Age in ‘Stone Age People’
archaeological activities and discoveries in
‘Discover the Past’
the nature and environment of Ice Ages
through ‘Natural World’
a catalogue of finds excavated from the
caves in ‘Exploring Objects’
a tour around the limestone gorge and into
some of the caves in ‘Virtual Tour’
an ‘Activities’ section where the archaeology
is explored in more detail
Age of Ice Exhibition An Introduction to the content of the
panels:
a place where you can talk to us through the
‘Message Board’
5 Ice Age Technology
extra resources including links to other web
sites as well as book lists in ‘Books and links’
Flint, wood, ivory, bone and other natural materials
provided the goods which Ice Age people used to
make all the tools for Ice Age life.
1 In the deep freeze
At the height of the last Ice Age the ice was within
just twenty miles of Creswell Crags.
a ‘News’ section where we can keep you
up to date with developments at Creswell
Crags.
6 Victorian excavations
The Victorian archaeologists first explored the caves
using picks and shovels to clear the cave sediments.
They discovered ‘wall to wall’ bone and flint tools.
2 Green Ice ages...
The ever changing Ice Age environment could range
from frozen arctic wastelands to lush grassland
supporting a wide and varied mix of plants and
animals.
The Gift Shop
A shop provides a range of souvenirs to suit both
childrens’ and teachers’ budgets. The shop also
stocks a variety of archaeology and history books as
well as information sheets.
7 Exploring caves today...
Archaeologists today carefully remove sediment
from the cave to recover even the smallest clues to
life in the past.
3 An Ice Age summer at Creswell
Crags
8 Microscopic clues....
Creswell Crags during the summer months would
have been a hive of activity with animals gathering
in large numbers to take advantage of the rich
food stores for herbivores and carnivores alike. The
stream provided a valuable source of water.
Evidence such as pollen grains and tiny mammal
bones provide even more detailed information
about the environment of the last Ice Age helping
us to understand which plants and trees grew
in the gorge and the wide range of animals the
environment supported.
4 Our Story...
The large herds of animals not only attracted
carnivors like hyaenas and lions but also humans.
The gorge was a focus for human activity during
the last Ice Age for hunting, gathering and possibly
meeting other people.
Wall hanging in the activity room
9 Future concerns...
The next Ice Age may start in less than 20,000
years from now. Judging by earlier Ice Ages the
temperature can change dramatically in less
than 100 years. Can the last Ice Age help us to
understand what will happen in the future?
6
7
What can you do
at Creswell Crags?
There is a mix of activities which take place
within the gorge, the cave, the area of Crags
Meadow and within the Museum and Education
Storytelling
Area
Centre.
The Cave Tour
This activity is guided by a heritage ranger who
leads the group through the limestone gorge and
into Robin Hood Cave. During the tour, replica
stone tools and other props are used to tell the
story of Ice Age hunters and the archaeologists who
excavated in the caves.
The cave tour lasts for 1 hour.
The Cave Story
During this activity, a heritage ranger guides the
group from the Museum to Robin Hood Cave. When
the group are seated in the cave a reindeer hunter
story-teller conjures up images about the Ice Age.
The cave story lasts for 1 hour.
Neanderthals at Creswell Crags 50,000 years ago
Robin Hood Cave and internal layout
Cave
Entrance
Access to the Gorge and Robin
Hood Cave
The walk from the museum down to
Robin Hood Cave is on well surfaced
paths and usually takes between
5-10 minutes. Inside the cave,
there is a platform on which
to stand and sit. The walls
and roof of the cave have
Church Hole
not been changed and
Cave
for safety reasons the
museum provides each
visitor with a safety
helmet. The helmets
are fitted with head
torches.
During the story and
cave tour a maximum
of 25 people can be
accommodated within the
cave at any one time.
Pin Hole Cave
Robin Hood
Cave
Boat House Cave
Limestone
Gorge
The Gorge
and Crags Meadow
The Museum encourages groups to use the gorge
and especially Crags Meadow. These areas are ideal
for any extension activities during the visit. For
example the Crags Meadow amphitheatre provides
a natural setting for additional drama activities
and the other caves in the gorge can be explored in
more detail from their entrances.
8
Crags Meadow
9
Museum
and Education
Centre
The Museum and
Education Centre
Activity Room
and Virtual Museum
During your visit to Creswell Crags the Activity
Room is your on-site classroom. Although the
museum provides a range of resources and activities
designed to be used in this room there is flexibility
within the visit time to develop a mix of activities
that are more suited to your needs.
The Museum and Education Centre has a variety of
resources which provide opportunities to explore
the following themes:
Sustainable use of natural resources as a
way of surviving the Ice Age
Ice Ages were periods of dramatic climatic
change but which supported a rich mosaic
of human, animal and plant communities
Stone Age people were skilled technicians
at tool making and had a creative and rich
culture
Stone Age people were supremely adapted
to their environment
The history of archaeological exploration
at Creswell Crags
Theatre
The theatre can be used as a venue to watch the
Museum’s video or as a flexible space to deliver
your own presentations using overheads. During a
previsit you will be able to assess how you would
like to use the room.
Video
The video extends the themes from the Age
of Ice exhibition providing additional pictures
supported by a linear narrative. The language of
the video has been assessed as reading age 10
and above. A transcript of the video is available
on request.
Exhibition display
Age of Ice Exhibition
Group in the Activity Room
Resources and activities we offer include two
computer interactives where you can test your Ice
Age survival skills and take the tour challenge to
virtually explore Robin Hood Cave. These computers
offer additional opportunities to explore objects
excavated from the caves.
Also in the activity room a number of hands-on
materials provide opportunities to work with replica
bones and stone tools which explore the evidence
archaeologists use to piece together the past.
Overheads
In the exhibition the central theme is concerned
with an understanding of dramatic climatic changes
which have occurred during the Ice Age and how
this has influenced the patterns and variety of
animals and plants which lived in the Creswell area.
A set of overheads have been developed as a
flexible resource which can be used to suit a
variety of audiences with different needs. The
overheads are projected onto a screen. A list of
the overheads and a loose script is available on
request. The group leader will lead this activity.
People are seen as a part of the animal world
who have adapted and developed specialised
cultures. Some of the displays look at the human
evolutionary context to the Stone Age and how
we think people have evolved and moved into the
Creswell area. Other displays look in more detail
at people’s lifestyle in terms of nomadic seasonal
movements, temporary camps, stone and bone tool
technologies and art.
Additional copies of the overheads are available
and can be loaned from the Museum to
support activities back at school. Alternatively
groups can borrow a PowerPoint version of
the presentation on a compact disc.
Other Videos
A further theme introduces the process of
archaeological discovery; from the Victorian
antiquarians who were some of the first people
to explore and excavate the caves, to more recent
detailed archaeological research.
The museum has available a range of other
videos supplied by English Heritage which can
be viewed as an alternative. A full list of titles is
available on request.
10
11
Your Visit
Organisation into Groups
to Creswell Crags
3.1 Preparing for your visit
To make a booking telephone us on
A pre-visit
While you are on the phone the museum completes
a booking form and will send you a confirmation
letter. Please fill out the confirmation slip at the
bottom of the letter to confirm your booking.
01909 720378.
We hope that you will find the time to come and
meet us before you bring your group. The number
of different resources at Creswell Crags will allow us
to offer a programme that is suited to your groups
needs. Education staff will be happy to discuss
particular ways for you to get the most out of your
visit. Please contact the Museum on 01909 720378
to arrange a pre-visit. There is no charge for this
service.
Please note that returning a signed confirmation
slip shows us that you agree to our Health and
Safety policy for visiting groups and accept the
terms of our contract with you. Copies of the
Health and Safety Policy and Contract will be
posted to you with the confirmation letter.
Story taking place in Robin Hood Cave
A maximum of 25 people can be taken into Robin
Hood Cave at any one time. Groups larger than 25
will need to be divided. Please organise yourselves
into the groups agreed by you and the education
team so that when they arrive on the site they can
be given their tribal identity.
A checklist of things to do and bring
Strong boots or shoes
Water proof coat
Clip boards
(if you are doing extra activities)
Pencils
3.2 Organisation on the Day
Photocopies of activity sheets
When you arrive at Creswell Crags, coach and
minibus parking is available at the far end of the
car park.
The Museum provides:
Enquiries to arrange a visit
To arrange a visit contact us at Creswell Crags
Museum and Education Centre to initially establish
whether the dates are available.
Finding your way here
Hard hats fitted with lights
Creswell Crags can be found 6 miles from the M1,
Junction 30, on the B6042 (Crags Road) half a mile
from Creswell village. See Essential Information for
a map.
1st Aid Kit
Tribal Groups (schools)
You will be met by a member of our education
team who will give each established group a tribal
identity which they will keep during the visit. The
various tribes include Mammoth Tribe, Reindeer
Tribe, Lion Tribe and Wolf Tribe. Each child will carry
the mark of the tribe throughout the visit and will
be identifiable from a distance by a distinctive cry.
Paying for your visit
Creswell Crags Museum and Education Centre
Crags Road, Welbeck,
Worksop, Notts S80 3LH
Our most up to date charging costs can be
found on our web site at http://www.creswellcrags.org.uk/CHT/Education/Charges.html
or email
[email protected]
Payment can be made in advance, on the day of the
visit, or by invoice following the visit. The Trust is
unable to make any refunds in the event that group
numbers are less than booked for.
Length of Stay and Group
Rotation
Please pay at the information desk / shop counter
and make cheques payable to Creswell Heritage
Trust. The Trust is unable to take any form of credit
card.
Groups usually visit Creswell Crags for up to 3-4
hours. This time includes the story or cave tour,
lasting for 1 hour, and the range of activities within
the Museum and Education Centre, a further hour.
Where there are more than 25 in a group, we will
need to divide you up into smaller groups for the
cave. This may involve one group taking part in an
activity on their own either in the gorge or at Crags
Meadow while the other groups are in the cave or
in the Centre.
An example of the organisation of three different
sized groups is given in the tables that follow.
Please note that these times are indicative. If you
wanted to stay longer on the site or need to return
to school earlier, there is a certain amount of
flexibility.
12
13
14
15
Activity Room
Exhibition
Museum Activities
Activity Room
Exhibition
Theatre
2.00pm - 3.00pm
1.00pm - 2.00pm
Theatre
Museum Activity Room
Museum Activities
Exhibition
Gorge / Crags Meadow Activity
11.30am - 12.30pm
12.30am - 1.00pm
Gorge / Crags Meadow Activity
Cave Story or Cave Tour
10.30am - 11.30am
(self led)
Mammoth Tribe
Reindeer Tribe
Mammoth Tribe
Museum Activities
Theatre
Exhibition
Museum Activity Room
Cave Story or Cave Tour
Theatre
Exhibition
(self led)
Gorge / Crags Meadow Activity
Cave Story or Cave Tour
Lunch
Museum Activity Room
Museum Activities
Reindeer Tribe
Theatre
Exhibition
Cave Story or Cave Tour
(self led)
Gorge / Crags Meadow Activity
Museum Activities
Museum Activity Room
Mammoth Tribe
A Class of 80 children and 12 adults
Lion Tribe
(self led)
Reindeer Tribe
A class of 40 children and 6 adults
Cave Story or Cave Tour
Museum Activities
Lion Tribe
Lion Tribe
A class of 20 children and 4 adults
Wolf Tribe
Activity Room
Exhibition
Theatre
Cave Story or Cave Tour
Wolf Tribe
Museum Activities
Theatre
Cave Story or Cave Tour
times and pupil numbers are indicative only
11.30am - 12.30pm
10.30am - 11.30am
11.30am - 12.30pm
10.30am - 11.30am
Wolf Tribe
times and pupil numbers are indicative only
Ideas for school
before or after a visit
The Virtual Museum
In addition to the resources at the museum there
are additional resources which can be used at
Our aim is to ensure that the web site is as
interactive as possible and to encourage its use.
The site at www.creswell-crags.org.uk is a major
resource for any group visiting Creswell Crags.
Within Virtually the Ice Age there are activities
and information about the Ice Age under three
key themes of Stone Age People, The Natural
World and Discover the Past. There are also links
to archaeological finds excavated from the caves in
Exploring Objects. In the Books and Links section
there are signposts to other information.
school either before or after a visit. The set of
overheads/PowerPoint presentation has already
been mentioned (p.11). Also the Virtual Museum
and the museum loans box provide excellent
opportunities to explore objects and their meaning.
You can also talk directly to the story-teller or
any member of the education team through the
message board.
The loans box
This box of artefacts and bones can be loaned from
the museum either before you come to the site
or after your visit. The loans box can be borrowed
for up to half a term. A charge is made to cover
postage and packing unless you collect the loans
box during a visit.
A typical loans box may
contain:
A variety of flint tools
Replica bone tools
Replica art objects
Antler hammer for flint working
A set of notes is provided with the box which give
background information on the objects and how
they can be investigated.
16