Excavating the Archaeologists shoes

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Archaeologists from what would eventually become the Landscape Research Centre conducted extensive excavations of several hectares of archaeology between 1978 and 1984 ahead of sand extraction at Cook's Quarry, West Heslerton. Volunteers, including students from Manchester, York, Glasgow, and other universities, camped on site during long summer excavations, leaving behind some truly unusual objects as they departed at the end of each season. Each year, a large refuse pit was cut and backfilled with debris from the many excavators, often containing discarded items from previous seasons. Before the quarry could remove the former campsite, new excavations continued to document this site's particularly important prehistoric past. In this instance, archaeologists uncovered a remarkably well-preserved pair of Dr. Martens that must be nearly 30 years old! The shoes' survival was nothing short of remarkable, as they were discarded around 1980 or 1981 and had been exposed to the elements for several decades. Despite having decayed threads, the laces and leather remained surprisingly intact. These rare maroon DM's may have belonged to John Hanson, who tragically died far too young.