Craggy Wyman plugs old rock art

The Times, June 5 1999

BY PAUL WILKINSON

ENGLISH Heritage has turned to an ageing rock star to publicise ancient rock art. Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, who has a passion for archaeology, has helped to launch a nationwide survey of prehistoric rock carvings.

Looking as craggy as the rocks he was posing by, Wyman, 62, appeared at a remote location near Lordenshaws, near Rothbury, in the Northumbria National Park to promote the pilot study. The veteran ex-bass player said: "I suppose it's a bit ironic that an ex-Rolling Stone is interested in ancientstones, although we're all ancient now. I suppose that comes full circle really.

"Prehistoric rock art is an amalgamation of my two great passions, archaeology and art. I am delighted to be able to support the English Heritage project."

His interest was first sparked when he unearthed a Tudor water jug as new drains were being installed at the 15th-century moated manor house in East Anglia he bought 30 years ago. Since then he has found more pottery, ornaments and other artefacts, including more than 300 coins, including one minted in Rome in AD 125, a golden half-noble from 1361 and a near-mint silver penny from the reign of Henry II. He is often out scouring the grounds with a metal detector.

The site at Lordenshaws hold some of the finest and most intricate examples of 5,000-year-old 'cup and ring' carvings in the country. No-body is sure exactly why ancient man made them, but theories include boundary markers and route indicators.

The year-long, £75,000 survey will be conducted by the School of Conservation Science at Bournemouth University, assisted by the Institute of Archaeology at University College London. It will look at ways of preserving the ancient carvings and encouraging public access to sites.