Bronze Age Relics Discovered in Skegness
If you’re digging in your garden around Beacon Way, Skegness, you might discover relics of the Bronze Age. Read this 1962 news story…
Two schoolboys excavate bricks and bones from the Bronze Age
BRICKS and bones that have not seen the light of day since the Bronze Age, were excavated from a pit in Beacon Way, off Burgh Road in January, 1962. And uncovering these finds were not the archaeologists of Sir Mortimer Wheeler’s standing, but two Skegness schoolboys !
It was while excavations were in progress in Greetham’s brickyard that man’s handiwork of 2,500 years ago was discovered.
Manager of the brickyard is Mr. T. A. Smith, of 2 Beacon Way, and fortunately he had the presence of mind to move work to a different part of the yard while the objects were examined.
All the examining was done by Mr. Smith’s 13-year-old son, Boyce, who, with the help of his friend, John Blython. of Lancaster Avenue, spent nearly every week-end since the previous November digging out 25 of the cylindrical shaped objects.
One was sent to the Curator of Lincoln Museum, who established its date and said the bricks were used by Bronze Age people and used in refining salt.
Finger-marks
SOME BRICKS were plainly imprinted with finger-marks, made as the clay was squeezed into shape.
The bricks were discovered about two feet down.
Picture: Examining the Bronze Age bricks they excavated from a site in Beacon Way are Skegness lads, John Blython (left) and Boyce Smith.
Research Source: Skegness Standard 1962
I knew John Blython very well and sister Linda and his brother Alan who still works for e.l.d.c and has done for many years. As John got older and got married he lived down Delacy Ave at Winthorpe,but eventualy left Skegness. I can recall this time when they found the bricks, as Beacon Park was once the site of the local brick yard, and I used to go down there and watch them shoveling coal on to the fires built in the walls to heat up the kilns to fire the bricks, plus play around the brick pit as we called it, it was like a big pond which was formed from the excavation of clay or sand that was used to make the bricks. I also remember alot of dragon flys and mosquitoes that decended on the marshy parts ot the pit in summer. On looking back, it was a dangerous place to play and wouldnt be allowed today.
Thanks for that extra information, Robert. Would this be the same brick pit as in this story?
http://skegnesshistory.com/2008/12/family-drowned-in-frozen-brickpit/