Golf Club Archaeology
The current rash of Digging programmes on TV suggest that there is considerable interest in the past. Roman Buxton remains a passion for some, while Saxons and their contributions continue to fascinate. When Buxton Museum and Art Gallery is re-housed from the library on Kents Bank, there will be another chance to see the exhibits on display.
But the oldest Buxtonians are thought to have resided at Lismore Field, just off St John’s Road. Evidence of Mesolithic activity has been uncovered, which puts these people living there before both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids were built over 8000 years ago. The world-famous Grimstone bowl found there is among the oldest cooking vessels ever found in Britain.
It contained remains of emmer wheat, suggesting that these early Buxtonians were well settled in this corner of the river Wye. Moving from being mobile hunters to farmers meant that they put down roots, eventually building Longhouses in the Neolithic era and cooking food in new ways.
Perhaps they also started to give thanks to their gods for the water which fell from the sky as well as bubbling up from the warm springs nearby?
But it’s not often that we have the chance to do some real archaeology in the Gents Locker Room at Buxton and High Peak Golf Club but this is exactly what happened this week.
A team of enthusiastic volunteers were tasked with removing the old lockers from the outer wall of the Gents Locker Room. Setting to with drills, hammers crowbars, the lockers eventually surrendered and were unceremoniously removed, to be sold as scrap.
Once out, the message from the past saw the light of day for the first time in 63 years.
1962
Lockers moved.
W and R. Norton (Bill and Raymond?)
F. Kerford Steward
While I’ve not been able to find anything about F. Kerford (help, please…), the contribution made by Bill Norton makes him a legend at the Golf Club.
As a young man, he managed sheep on Fairfield Common, developing an interest in golf by caddying.
Bill toiled on the course before motorised equipment was available but still found time to achieve a remarkable series of victories, notably winning 9 trophies in one day. Appointed as Professional in 1939, under his tenure
B&HPGC produced three Derbyshire Champion Players (Katie Dickie, Adrian Ellis and Nick Rogers). This photo is dated May 1962 and was taken to acknowledge Bill’s 50th year at B&HPGC.
Following his retirement, he was succeeded by his son Raymond as Head Greenkeeper. Of course, our current Head Greenkeeper is Steve Norton: it stays in the family!
This photo shows three generations of the Norton family in 1987.
It seems as if their skills also extended to installing lockers!
Jon White
July 2025
