| Where | Ingleby Greenhow Village Hall | Type of Event | Illustrated Talk |
| When | Monday 13th October 2025 at 7.30 pm | Tutor | Gigi Signorelli |
The lecture was delivered by Gigi Signorelli. Gigi’s presentation was lively and well organised and this was a well-researched and mastered subject. The LHG had an expectation of a substantial audience and in that we were not disappointed. A quick count revealed an attendance of about 36, including several visitors. That was to be expected, perhaps, given the general public interest in a major feature located in Ingleby Greenhow.
Gigi introduced the lecture by stating the purpose of the Survey in broad terms. The Survey was of approximately two kilometres of wall and asked questions of how high it was, how it was built and what was the condition of the wall? The project commenced in 2023 with recording the wall, checking its stability and proposing a plan for future conservation. The illustrations included detailed drawings of the wall in some parts. The whole wall was, however, photographed and a selection of the very scenic photographs was displayed to the audience as the talk proceeded.
The wall is to be found to the north of Ingleby Greenhow in the Battersby Plantation. The Deer Park, which the wall enclosed, was connected with Ingleby Manor. Before this wall was built there had been deer parks in which there had been hunting. The exact location of these parks is not so clear. The construction of this wall was an expression of status and power. It is believed to have been built in the late 1500s or early 1600s. The Eure and Foulis were wealthy families with extensive land holdings. But it seems that deer hunting stopped around 1800 and the land was used for game shooting. Today, a lot of that land is covered with trees as part of forestry activity.
The wall itself is made from locally quarried sandstone and stands two metres high. It is still, on the whole, a strongly built and well-designed structure after four centuries. Much of it is upright and stable. Other parts have collapsed. Tree roots are part of the problem. Where the wall has disappeared that feature can be explained by robbing the site. Material from the wall will be found in other structures locally. A further problem related to maintenance is the difficult terrain it occupies. The southern part of the wall is the best preserved.
As for the future, the wall is rare enough and well preserved enough to receive legal protection. It has been suggested it should become a scheduled monument and enjoy the protection that will bring. But there is still more work required to prevent further deterioration. Gigi suggested it should become a community project to repair the wall and to educate about its significance.
The material was absorbing and the audience was attentive. The time passed easily and the audience was informed and entertained. There were plenty of questions. An enjoyable evening.