TToday, Sutton Bank is as peaceful and quiet as you’ll find anywhere, offering visitors views dubbed “the most beautiful in England”, but does it also hold an untold history of wealthy German aristocrats and Nazi spies?
A three-year archaeological project has begun to investigate much of the history of the landmark, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire.
It also features prehistoric tales from the Bronze and Iron Ages and a bloody, overlooked 14th century battle, but one of its most fascinating themes is an investigation into Sutton Bank’s secret Nazi history.
“It’s unusual to have so much heritage in such a small area,” said Steve Collison, project manager for Raiding the Bank for the North York Moors National Park Authority.
Sutton Bank is the highest point in the Hambleton Hills and is well known for the steepness of the A170 that runs up and down it, as well as the fantastic views over the countryside.
It was also one of the best locations for glider flying, and in the 1930s it attracted enthusiasts from all over Europe, including German aristocrats who later became pilots in the Luftwaffe.
“Various glider clubs from Europe and the UK will be training here,” Mr Collison said.
There are also stories that Nazi spies were aboard the gliders on reconnaissance missions.
The exact reason for this remains to be investigated, but military authorities were so concerned about a German attack that numerous defensive works, including trenches, were erected, a mock airfield was constructed, and the White Horse Stockade cut into the southern end was covered over.
“The Germans may have considered this place as a landing site for paratroopers,” says local historian Harry Pearson, “especially given the pre-war intelligence, it would have been an ideal location.”
Pearson dug into local archives. Glider Clubis still in operation. “You never know what treasures you might find,” he said.
Collison said it’s still early days in terms of what might be uncovered: “We have the archives, so we’re going to take the time to dig through them and see what stories there are. It may lead us down a completely different path.”
The project includes archaeological excavations and community surveys and is funded by a £280,000 grant. National Grid’s Landscape Improvement Initiative.
On the overcast June morning when the Guardian visited, volunteers were pushing a large wooden frame on wheels across a field where barely noticeable Bronze Age burial mounds were found.
The frame is fitted with sensors that detect changes in the ground’s magnetic field — a laborious but high-tech setup, a bit like watching “Last of the Summer Wine” on the Sci-Fi Channel.
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Veterinarian and local author James Heriot described the views from Sutton Bank as “the finest in England”, but Edward II’s English soldiers probably would not have shared the same opinion on what became the bloodiest day in the region’s history.
The Battle of Byland took place in October 1322 during the Wars of Scottish Independence and was a stunning victory for the Scots under Robert the Bruce, given that the English were defending positions at the top of the bank.
Mr Pearson said the Scottish army had soldiers from the Highlands who were used to fighting in rough, rugged terrain. “This was a classic flanking attack in terrain where the English thought they couldn’t be flanked,” he said.
Pearson is Books about fighting And he is excited about the potential for archaeological investigation at the site: “The site is often overlooked. In standard history books, it is mentioned in a sentence or two, if at all. It is often dismissed as a minor skirmish.”
“The Battle of Bannockburn, although always noteworthy and certainly one of the fiercest battles of the era, was inconclusive. The war continued for another 14 years. Edward’s defeat at Byland marked a definitive end to his military ambitions in Scotland.”
The park hopes there will be other stories to be told as a result of this project.
“This area, the area around Sutton Bank, is full of history,” Pearson says. “You can feel it. You can almost touch it.”
