The Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland Registered charity number 227397
Trustees Annual Report
Year ended: 31 December 2024
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS
Charity Name: Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland Registered charity no: 227397 Principal Address: Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland c/o Department of Archaeology Durham University South Road Durham DH1 3LE Society Website: www.aasdn.org.uk
Charity trustees who managed the charity in 2024:
Richard Annis President Adrian Green Past President Julie Biddlecombe-Brown Vice President Jennifer Morrison Secretary David Mason Editor Jennifer Parker Membership Secretary Simon Alderson Treasurer Anne Allen Lecture Organiser Erik Matthews Fieldwork Officer Myra Giesen Newsletter Editor Gary Bankhead Webmaster Heidi Richards Excursions Sheila Hingley Minute taker John Castling Sarah Price Laura Anderson
STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The charity is constituted as a Local Society, whose governing document is the Society Constitution.
The trustees form a committee elected by the Society membership at the AGM in May.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document:
The objects of the Society are to promote the study of archaeology and architecture, especially in the north-east of England. The Society is interested, not only in field monuments and upstanding buildings, but in all matters relating to artefacts, documents and antiquarian thought.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects:
In accordance with the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, the Trustees, (who form the management committee of the Society) organised a programme of events for 2024, with the aim of encouraging as full a participation as possible from its membership and from members of the public.
The Society offers a selection of excursions during the year. Archaeological fieldwork is being carried out at Hornby Castle in North Yorkshire, on most Saturdays from spring until autumn. Excursions and fieldwork are only available to members of the Society.
There was a full programme of lectures. The Society’s lectures are free and open to the general public, and they are advertised on the website and through social media.
The committee dealt with enquiries and requests for information from the general public on a wide range of issues relating to the history and archaeology of our region.
The Society publishes Durham Archaeological Journal, free to Ordinary members and available for sale to institutional members and the general public.
Most members receive Newsletters electronically; paper copies are printed for those who do not use email.
The Society aims to cater for all those with an interest in the archaeology and architecture of our area, and to raise awareness of the significance of the rich historic environment of Durham and Northumberland, with a view to safeguarding our unique heritage for future generations.
The Trustees have read and are aware of their responsibilities with regard to Charity
Commission advice on public benefit, and this is reviewed annually.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Summary of the main achievements of the charity during 2024:
The Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland has continued to prosper and develop in the last year. Membership numbers have dropped in the last year to around 109, but this may be due to us having to set up a new bank account. Membership is spread across joint, single and associate categories. We have continued to achieve good attendance records at the events we have arranged.
Lectures
The lectures were held at 2.30pm on Saturday afternoons from January to June and from September to December, at Durham University mostly in room ER140 at Elvet Riverside, New Elvet, Durham DH1 3JT. Most attracted audiences of around 40 to 50 attendees.
Saturday 13 January 2024
Dr Jane Harrison, University of Newcastle
A North Northumberland Early Anglo-Saxon high-status site: targeted later by the Viking Great Army?
Saturday 10 February
Richard Annis and Julie Biddlecombe-Brown
Raby Castle
Saturday 9 March
Richard Pears
‘Catholic country houses in Durham and Northumberland 1570-1829’
Saturday 13 April
Kate Chapman, ECUS Ltd (formerly NAA)
‘Excavation and Building Recording at Egglescliffe Old Hall’
Saturday 8 June
Paul Howlett from York Archaeology
‘Micklegate and Guildhall, York – the results from recent excavations by York Archaeology’
Saturday 21 Sept
Natalie Swann, Senior Archaeologist, Archaeological Services Durham University
‘Recent excavations on Durham peninsula and within Durham City’.
Saturday 12 Oct
Jules Brown, Historic Places Adviser, Historic England
‘Bishop Auckland Heritage Action Zone’
Saturday 9 Nov
Tim Bailey, Principal at xsite architecture and Chair of Northern School of Art
‘Hartlepool Conservation Area’
Saturday 14 Dec
David Mason, Senior Archaeologist, Durham County Council
‘What the Romans did for Durham and Northumberland’
Excursions
Wednesday 5[th] to Tuesday 11[th] June Major excursion to South West Wales
David Mason led a week-long trip to Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. Wednesday was taken up by travelling, although the group stopped on the way to see Croome Court, a mid18[th] century neo-Palladian mansion near Upton-upon-Severn in South Worcestershire. On Thursday the group visited Pembroke Castle, and had a guided tour of the town. Friday’s visits were to Picton Castle and St. David’s Cathedral. On Sunday the group went to the National Trust’s Stackpole Estate, followed by Carew Castle and Tidal Mill. Monday’s destination was Carmarthen Roman amphitheatre, then Dinefwr Park (the site of two Roman forts and a ruined castle and Newton House). On the way back to Durham on Tuesday 11[th] , the group visited Hanbury Hall.
Tuesday 6[th] August Blyth
Richard Annis organised a visit to see the 1879 LV50 Lightship at South Harbour, Blyth. We are grateful to the Friends of LV50 for showing us round. This was followed by a stop to see Blyth Battery and the 18[th] century gate pier to the now lost Link House.
Thursday 10[th] October Barter Books, Alnwick
Heidi Richards organised a tour of the architecture of a former Victorian railway station, now a book shop.
Annual General Meeting
The AGM on Saturday 11[th] May was held in the Scarborough Room at Lumley Castle in Chester-le-Street. The business meeting was preceded by a guided tour by Heidi Richards (former Events Coordinator at the Castle).
Newsletters
Two newsletters were produced this year, edited by Myra Giesen, celebrating the historic environment of the North-East and beyond.
Journal
Durham Archaeological Journal is an occasional publication, so no journal was published in 2024, however our Editor, David Mason, worked on collating articles for the next volume.
Fieldwork
Fieldwork at Hornby Castle in North Yorkshire continued under the direction of Erik Matthews.
Society Research Award
The 2023 research award of £500 was belatedly granted in April 2024 to Towan Hancock, of Shincliffe Local History Society for scientifically dating timber in the riverbank of the Wear, a remnant of an earlier river crossing at Shincliffe.
The 2024 research award of £500 was granted to Tony Metcalfe of Altogether Archaeology to help fund palaeo-environmental analysis and radiocarbon dating of samples from the prehistoric palisaded enclosure at Gueswick.
Website and Social Media
A new website has been created, and is kept up to date by Gary Bankhead, and our presence on X (formerly Twitter) was used to advertise events and raise the profile of the Society. Members were kept informed of events in the area via regular email circulars.
We remain committed to supporting archaeology within the region, promoting the historic environment and encouraging our members and the general public to engage with the past.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Statement of the charity’s policy on reserves:
The Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland’s policy on reserves is to maintain a sufficient level of reserves to enable all usual operating activities to be maintained whilst taking into account potential contingencies that may arise from time to time. We maintain a reserve of £5000 to cover potential costs that might arise from changes in local or national policies that could affect the work of the Society or the loss of access to University premises and facilities. This policy and the level of reserves are regularly reviewed.
DECLARATION
The Trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
10 May 2025
Richard Annis, President
Date:
| Architectural & Archaeological Society of Durham & Northumberland Statement of Accounts for the Year Ended 31 December 2024 |
Architectural & Archaeological Society of Durham & Northumberland Statement of Accounts for the Year Ended 31 December 2024 |
|---|---|
| Income & Expenditure Account | |
| 2024 2023 |
|
| £ | £ £ £ |
| Income | |
| Membership Income Subscriptions £2,283.00 --------------- Sub Total Other Income Sale of Publications £2,167.24 |
£3,082.50 --------------- £2,283.00 £3,082.50 £3,543.22 |
| Trips, Events & Fieldwork Income £3,714.50 Legacies £28,500.00 |
£1,983.00 £0.00 |
| Bank Interest Received £0.00 |
£12.76 |
| --------------- | --------------- |
| Sub Total | £34,381.74 £5,538.98 |
| ----------------- ----------------- |
|
| Total Income | £36,664.74 £8,621.48 |
| Less: Expenditure | |
| Meeting & Speakers Expenses £706.30 Journal & Monograph Publication Costs £0.00 |
£134.30 £3,457.51 |
| Trips and Events £0.00 |
£6,562.57 |
| Corporate Subscriptions £0.00 Administrative Expenses £669.29 Fieldwork Costs £100.00 Grants £1,000.00 |
£119.00 £946.22 £100.00 £500.00 |
| --------------- | --------------- |
| Total Expenditure | £2,475.59 £11,819.60 |
| ----------------- ----------------- |
|
| (Deficit)/Surplus of Income over Expenditure | £34,189.15 -£3,198.12 |
| ========== ========== |
| Architectural & Archaeological Society of Durham & Northumberland | Architectural & Archaeological Society of Durham & Northumberland | Architectural & Archaeological Society of Durham & Northumberland | Architectural & Archaeological Society of Durham & Northumberland | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement of Accounts for the Year Ended | 31 December 2024 | |||||
| Balance Sheet | ||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Year End Bank Balances | ||||||
| Bank Current Account | £55,778.34 | £21,589.19 | ||||
| Bank Deposit Account | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| ----------------- | ----------------- | |||||
| Total | £55,778.34 | £21,589.19 | ||||
| =========== | =========== | |||||
| Consolidated Fund | ||||||
| Surplus B/fwd | £21,589.19 | £24,787.31 | ||||
| (Deficit)/Surplus for Year | £34,189.15 | -£3,198.12 | ||||
| ----------------- | ----------------- | |||||
| £55,778.34 | £21,589.19 | |||||
| =========== | =========== | |||||
| S Alderson, Hon Treasurer |
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Independent examiner's statemenl In conneclion wilh my examinalion. no malter has Come to my attention.. {1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe ihaL in any malerial respecl, Ihe requirements lo keep a¢¢ounting records in accordance wilh Seclion 130 of the 2011 Act. and to prepare accounts which accord with the a¢¢ounting records and to comply wilh the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met- or (2) to which, in my opinion, allenlion should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounls to be reached. MrG Bell GS Accountants Ltd Aykley Vale Chambers Durham Road County Durham DHI SNE 29, April 2025