Laser survey will uncover hidden Teesdale

THE hidden past of upper Teesdale is about to be unravelled thanks to a project being launched by the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) partnership.
LiDAR Landscapes has been developed with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to enable experts and volunteers to use the latest laser technology to uncover what is hidden beneath the landscape.
Although much is known about the history of the upper dale, many historic sites remain undiscovered because they are hard for the naked eye to see.
The modern technique of LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging – uses laser beams to survey the ground below which then generate detailed images that show up every lump and bump.
It is hoped these images will reveal new facts about what the area was like centuries ago.
Paul Frodsham, LiDAR Landscapes officer at the AONB partnership, said: “LiDAR has revolutionised how we look at the historic landscape.
“Patches of uneven ground that have so far gone unnoticed, whether in ploughed fields or on open moorland, will become clearly visible on LiDAR maps.
“A similar project in Northumberland recently recorded more than a thousand ‘new’ sites, dating from prehistoric to recent times.”
The project will be launched at The Witham, in Barnard Castle, on March 1. The event is open to anyone interested in finding out more about the historic landscape of the North Pennines.
Also involved in the launch is Channel 4’s Time Team landscape archaeologist Stewart Ainsworth.
Mr Frodsham added: “We want as many people as possible to get involved; no previous knowledge or experience is necessary.
“We’ll be running a number of workshops to train volunteers to take part in assessing the LiDAR data and potentially discovering previously unknown sites.
“Why not come and join us? You might just find something amazing.”
To book a place at the launch event, visit northpenn ines.org.uk.