Fragments of history (From Your Local Guardian)

Fragments of history

9:54am Thursday 5th April 2007 in Sutton Lavender Campaign By Richard Lyons

The site of the Carshalton lavender field was previously the home of a group of pre-historic farmers who lived around 4,000 years ago, it has been revealed.

Flints used by people living on the land were found by Len Cacutt who has had an allotment on the site for five years.

His discovery was then confirmed by the curator of pre-history at the Museum of London, Jon Cotton, who carried out a personal inspection of the area.

Mr Cotton said: "I think you can imagine groups of people moving across that land, perhaps fairly nomadic, perhaps herding, pastoral farmers with flocks of sheep, goats and cattle, that sort of thing. What has been found on the site is a little part of that.

"The flints probably would have been used for cutting and scraping wood and animal hides. They relate genuinely to the lifestyles of the people who lived there."

Mr Cacutt, 83, of North Avenue, Carshalton Beeches, has found hundreds of flints while working his allotment and similar finds have been made at the lavender field.

Mr Cotton said they were neolithic and bronze age struck flints dating from 4,000 to 1,000 years BC and may have belonged to people living at an ancient ring fort which stood on the grounds of the former Queen Mary's Hospital.

The Stanley Park allotment site, which included the lavender field, could be chosen as the site of the new Stanley Park High School when councillors meet next Monday (April 16).

Mr Cacutt said: "If you are going to build a school, you are going to lose that historical interest for ever. It's a shame.

"Finding a small arrowhead that was dropped at some stage thousands of years ago makes you think what did that person do?' There's a kind of contact. It's a long, long link to the past and it is wonderful."