Chance

They were being laid in the grounds of Soulton Hall, Wem, as part of a wider scheme to create the long barrow next year.

The impressive limestone features, each weighing a couple of tonnes, stand approximately 12 feet high and six feet wide, and are the first step in the building of the Soulton Long Barrow by Sacred Stones Ltd and the Ashton family.

The Soulton Long Barrow was granted planning permission earlier this month and will be made entirely by hand using natural limestone, lime mortar and traditional techniques.

Inspired by those built by our prehistoric ancestors, it will house cremation ashes and will provide a much-needed alternative venue for funerals and commemorative experiences.

It is hoped the barrow will act as a focal point for community to celebrate life, free from the constraints imposed by municipal alternatives. The long barrow will also provide a unique backdrop for educational and creative events.

Managing director of Sacred Stones, Toby Angel, said: “These beautiful standing stones are a precursor to what will be an historic build; the first long barrow in the region for 5,000 years. As well as marking the path to the barrow, these monoliths are our statement of intent and commitment to creating a natural, secular barrow in a rural setting where families can come with no time limitations and celebrate life.

“We established the company in response to our own experience of crematoriums and the frustration of spending longer in the car park than at the service. When we saw the public’s reaction to the Wiltshire barrow and their engagement with the structure there, it encouraged us to form Sacred Stones. In death, as in life, choice is hugely important and grief needs time without constraint. We know, through testimony, this is what a barrow provides and we are honoured that a few local people have already reserved a space for their ashes here.”

Tim Ashton, of Soulton Hall, added: “This is a special day for my family, and the community we serve. It’s hugely exciting to be one of the first farmers to build a long barrow in modern times.

“My family have been stewards of this land for a long time; our passionate connection with Soulton is shared by the many people who live and work around us, and by the many that visit each year.

“By committing to the barrow, we amplify the honour it is to engage with the land, and I passionately believe this important structure will serve the community for generations to come.”

shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/north-shropshire/wem/2017/09/26/three-limestone-monoliths-mark-a-path-to-shropshires-first-long-barrow-in-5000-years/

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Book your slot now!

soultonhall.co.uk/page/322/new-barrow.htm

Know Your Place project puts three more counties on the map

Announcing the launch of Know Your Place in Wiltshire, Bath & NE Somerset and Gloucestershire

www.kypwest.org.uk

For the first time, historic maps and heritage data of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset are now freely available online in one place, thanks to the latest expansion of Know Your Place West of England.

From Stonehenge to Swindon, Keynsham to the Cotswolds, Salisbury plain to the spa towns of Bath and Cheltenham – you can now discover how these places have transformed over time.

What this means for the West

Now covering more than 4360 square miles, Know Your Place allows you to explore some of the most famous landmarks from the region’s history, from the World Heritage sites at Bath and Avebury, to Wiltshire’s White Horses and the unique landscapes of the Forest of Dean and Severn Estuary that are the focus of other Heritage Lottery Funded projects.

You will also be able to upload and share your own information about the area straight onto Know Your Place helping to build a rich and diverse community map of local heritage for everyone; from school children to family historians, planners to enthusiasts of community heritage.

Don’t just take our word for it

Here is what some of our users in Bristol and South Gloucestershire have said about Know Your Place:

“Be like Doctor Who and travel back in time.”
“If you’re interested in local history you can’t beat this site.”
“I like the thousands of little windows it provides into the past; all based on specific identified places on the map. It is a wonderful tool for local history research.”
“I love the layers of maps; it demonstrates so well how the area has grown and developed.”
“It’s free and infectious once you’re in you become absorbed; brilliant!”
There’s still lots more to do…

But there’s a lot more work to do to publish additional Know Your Place data for these three new counties so watch this space. We are pleased to be collaborating with the following groups:

More than 50 project volunteers are working hard to prepare further historic tithe, enclosure and town maps, which we will add onto Know Your Place over the coming months.

We are also working closely with Historic Environment Record officers to to publish Historic Environment Record (HER) data for Gloucestershire, refine the HER data already available for Wiltshire and B&NES and to share HER data for North Somerset and Somerset in future.

Museums and archives across the region are identifying items from their collections that will begin to be mapped onto Know Your Place once their county is online.

You can now find the following counties on Know Your Place: Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath & NE Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. As more people use and contribute to Know Your Place, the website will continue to grow, so do keep coming back to watch it evolve.

Exhibition coming soon!

We are also designing an upcoming touring exhibition that will visit 12 venues across the West of England starting in late October 2016, celebrating our rich heritage and helping to raise awareness of the fabulous new resource of Know Your Place.

Ready to explore?

Simply go to the map and click on the county you want to visit. Please note that the areas mapped contain a large amount of data, so loading data may require a little extra time when you first visit.

Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre, 10 Market Place SN15 3HF, are currently showing a special display on Lanhill Long Barrow, which will run until March 2017.

The display tells the story of the barrow and the many people who have helped shape our understanding of it. The display includes finds, photographs, plus a detailed plan showing the hidden chambers and the extent of quarrying damage.

Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre is free to explore and opens Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

The summer solstice is always very busy at Avebury – this year is likely to be no exception. If you are coming to mark midsummer at Avebury, do plan well in advance. Please consider coming for a shorter time so you don’t need to stay overnight and use public transport if at all possible.

Planning your visit during the solstice – Go online for full details

Solstice this year will be sunrise on Tuesday 21 June.

nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury/features/the-summer-solstice-at-avebury

Get an introduction to studying archaeology, exploring exciting discoveries in the Vale of Pewsey, near to Stonehenge and Avebury.

futurelearn.com/courses/archaeology?utm_source=FL_DB&utm_medium=crm&utm_campaign=13_04_2016_FL_newsletter&utm_content=image

Join now – starts 20 Jun

ABOUT THE COURSE
Join us at the University of Reading as we chart the progress of an archaeological excavation from dig to lab and beyond on this free online course.

Take a virtual field trip to the Vale of Pewsey

We’ll be showing you around our field school – a month-long excavation at the Vale of Pewsey, which is a relatively untouched site compared to its world-famous neighbours, Stonehenge and Avebury.

The Vale of Pewsey is an archaeological treasure chest and the jewel of its crown is Marden. Built around 2,400 BC, Marden is the largest henge in the country and one of Britain’s most important but least understood prehistoric monuments.

Every object has a tale to tell and we’ll investigate how archaeologists paint a vivid picture of what life was like in Neolithic times through the astounding assortment of discoveries made in this beautiful part of England.

Explore every aspect of archaeology

An archaeological excavation isn’t just turning up with a trowel to dig. Drawing on case studies from our field school, you’ll find out about every aspect of archaeology, from deciding where to dig to the collection, recording and storage of artefacts.

We’ll investigate excavation techniques such as topographic surveying and scientific coring. And through distinctive discoveries at the Vale of Pewsey, we’ll take a closer look at what you can do with an artefact once you’ve found it.

Learn how archaeology can study the dead

One of the most intriguing and eye-opening finds of all is a burial site or grave, which provides fascinating insights into the past. In Week 2, we’ll examine the archaeological methods employed in the study of the dead. What can skeletal remains tell us about where someone lived, their occupation and their health?

University of Reading
FREE online course
Duration: 2 weeks
3 hours pw
Certificates available

REQUIREMENTS
No prior experience of archaeology is needed. This course is designed for anyone interested in studying an archaeology degree at university. However, anyone with an enthusiastic interest in archaeology is very welcome to join us too.

Join the conversation on social media

Use the hashtag #FLdigtolab to join and contribute to social media conversations about this

The skull and antlers of a deer dating back 4,000 years have been found.
Researchers from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David are examining the red deer remains, discovered on a beach in Borth, Ceredigion.
They were first spotted in early April, but were not recovered until Friday due to the tides.
Dr Ros Coard, from the university, said: “The individual was certainly in the prime of his life showing full development of the large antlers.”
When the skull was first seen, it was reported to the Royal Commission in Aberystwyth which alerted Dr Martin Bates, of UWTSD’s school of school of archaeology, history and anthropology.
The people who found it photographed the area where it was spotted and this was used by the team who manually searched the water at low tide until the skull was found under 1m (3.2ft) of water.
This discovery comes from a channel cut through an area which in the 1960s turned up bones of a large auroch, an extinct form of large wild cattle that once lived in Europe.
The forest and peat deposits either side of this channel date to between about 6,000 and 4,000 years ago – the time of the last hunter gatherers and the earliest farmers in Britain.
Dr Bates said: “This is a wonderful discovery that really brings the forest and its environs to light.
“Although the exact age of the skull has yet to be confirmed, it’s probable that the channel within which the find was made is contemporary with the forest and so an age in excess of 4,000 years old is likely.”
Dr Coard, a faunal specialist at UWTSD, added: “Although the antlers and partial skull still have to undergo full analysis, the antlers can be said to come from a very large, mature male red deer.”

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-36157302?SThisFB

Half of Western European men are descended from one Bronze Age ‘king’ who sired a dynasty of elite nobles which spread throughout Europe, a new study has shown.
The monarch, who lived around 4,000 years ago, is likely to have been one of the earliest chieftains to take power in the continent.
He was part of a new order which emerged in Europe following the Stone Age, sweeping away the previous egalitarian Neolithic period and replacing it with hierarchical societies which were ruled by a powerful elite.
It is likely his power stemmed from advances in technology such as metal working and wheeled transport which enabled organised warfare for the first time.
Although it is not known who he was, or where he lived, scientists say he must have existed because of genetic variation in today’s European populations.
Dr Chris Tyler-Smith, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, said: “One of the most novel and exciting things we have found in the study is the extraordinary explosion in numbers of males at specific times.
“In Europe there was huge population expansion in just a few generations. Genetics can’t tell us why it happened but we know that a tiny number of elite males were controlling reproduction and dominating the population.
“Half of the Western European population is descended from just one man. We can only speculate as to what happened. The best explanation is that they may have resulted from advances in technology that could be controlled by small groups of men.
“Wheeled transport, metal working and organised warfare are all candidate explanations that can now be investigated further.”
The study analysed sequence differences between the Y chromosomes of more than 1200 men from 26 populations around the world using data generated by the 1000 Genomes Project.
The Y chromosome is only passed from father to son and so is wholly linked to male characteristics and behaviours. Mutations reveal which are related to each other and how far apart they are genetically so that researchers can build a family tree.
Dr Yali Xue, lead author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, explained: “This pattern tells us that there was an explosive increase in the number of men carrying a certain type of Y chromosome, within just a few generations.
“We only observed this phenomenon in males, and only in a few groups of men.”
The team used the data to build a tree of the 1200 Y chromosomes. It shows how they are all related to one another. As expected, they all descend from a single man who lived approximately 190,000 years ago.
The most intriguing and novel finding was that some parts of the tree were more like a bush than a tree, with many branches originating at the same point.
The earliest explosive increases of male numbers occurred 50,000–55,000 years ago, across Asia and Europe, and 15,000 years ago in the Americas.
There were also later expansions in sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe, South Asia and East Asia, at times between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago. The team believes the earlier population increases resulted from the first peopling by modern humans of vast continents, where plenty of resources were available.
Dr David Poznik, from Stanford University, California, first author on the paper, said: “We identified more than 60,000 positions where one DNA letter was replaced by another in a man with modern descendants, and we discovered thousands of more complex DNA variants.
“These data constitute a rich and publicly available resource for further genealogical, historical and forensic studies.”

The research was published in the journal Nature Genetics.

telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/04/25/half-of-british-men-descended-from-one-bronze-age-king/

Sarah Knapton, science editor
25 APRIL 2016 • 6:14PM

Western Daily Press

The National Trust and Wiltshire Police are to crack down on the ‘number and behaviour’ of people camping on Britain’s oldest roads – the ancient Ridgeway near Avebury – for the summer solstice.

A new plan has been drawn up by the Trust, which owns the stone circle in the Wiltshire village, to clamp down on the growing numbers of people staying outside the village and blocking the Ridgeway, which runs along the hillside just to the east of the village.

The crackdown will also see more enforcement of tighter new parking restrictions at Avebury village itself, as the National Trust aims to curb the excesses of the revellers who gather there.

The move follows hugely controversial measures put in place by English Heritage for the summer solstice at Stonehenge, including charging £15 to park cars in the temporary car park, and banning alcohol on the site for the night.

While the crowds can reach 40,000 at Stonehenge to see the sunrise on the longest day in June, the solstice at Avebury is a much smaller affair. Crowds there can reach 5,000, and there already has been one major crackdown on what went on there.

There was absolute chaos in 2005 and 2006 when so many people parked all over the village that they completely blocked the main A361 Swindon to Devizes road, which runs through Avebury. During the 2000s, residents also complained consistently of drunken, loutish behaviour by revellers, including finding people vomiting, sleeping, urinating or defecating in their gardens. Many residents still go away for the two days either side of the solstice to avoid the event.

The National Trust and police clamped down on parking. It is no longer allowed anywhere outside the existing visitors’ car park, which fills up almost as soon as it is opened on the eve of the solstice, and camper vans are banned.

But increasing numbers of people are heading to Avebury – anecdotally to avoid increased regulation at Stonehenge – and many camp wild along the Ridgeway, which is a short walk across the fields from Avebury village, and affords amazing views over the stone circle and Silbury Hill.

The Ridgeway there is the start of an ancient road that runs all the way to East Anglia and dates back to at least the creation of the Avebury stone circle more than 5,000 years ago.

The Trust said it wanted to make ‘Solstice a more peaceful occasion’, and its plan would make the celebrations at Avebury ‘safe for everyone and respectful of the World Heritage Site’.

As part of the plan, the Police and Wiltshire Council will increase patrols on the Ridgeway – a byway east of Avebury where the number and behaviour of people gathering during Solstice has become a problem.

The National Trust said regular patrols of the byway ‘will ensure safety, keep access along the byway open and prosecute and remove those found to be breaking the law’.

Jan Tomlin, the National Trust’s General Manager in Avebury, said: “We want the Solstice at Avebury to continue to be known for being a peaceful, respectful occasion which all those who care most about the henge and the village would want it to be – that is why we are taking this action.”

“As landowner we are concerned about the safety of anybody using our land – including the Ridgeway. A robust management plan as proposed and enforced by the council and Police is the right thing,” she added.

Philip Whitehead, Wiltshire council’s highways boss, said he was ‘delighted’ action was being taken. “I am delighted we are taking a real partnership approach to tackling the challenges the Summer Solstice brings to Avebury,” he said. “It is a real team effort, and I look forward to another successfully managed event.”

Read more: westerndailypress.co.uk/National-Trust-crackdown-Avebury-solstice/story-29147628-detail/story.html

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-34944768

Stonehenge druid King Arthur resurrects remains battle

A senior druid has vowed to seek a judicial review over a government decision allowing ancient human remains from Stonehenge to be kept in a museum.

King Arthur Pendragon claims the cremated bones, unearthed in 2008, are from members of the royal line and wants them reburied.

A licence allowing them to go on display expired last month, but has since been extended.

Mr Pendragon said the government had “reinterpreted” the law. ‘Mobilise supporters‘

Since their excavation, the remains have led to new discoveries about Stonehenge.

Prof Mike Parker Pearson from University College London said the bones were buried over a period of 600 years, and include the remains of men, women and children.

His findings will be formally published in the Antiquity Journal next year.

If new scientific advances were made, he added, the licence allowed for future examination of the bone fragments.

King Arthur Pendragon will apply for the judicial review in May 2016

The items will be held in storage until the bones are transferred to Salisbury Museum in April.

Mr Pendragon said he would will apply for the repatriation of the bones when they are moved to the museum, and will then apply for a judicial review.

He added: “We are not going to roll over on this and we are going to mobilise our supporters around the world.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Every licence application is carefully considered on its merits.

“Having weighed up all the arguments put forward, Ministers found the case made by Professor Parker Pearson to be more persuasive than that put forward by those who opposed the application and have amended the licence as he requested.”

Meanwhile, Mr Pendragon also told the BBC he planned to seek a change in the law to better protect pre-Christian human remains.

He will also address the issue at the Stonehenge winter solstice on 22 December.

warband.org.uk/

NEOLITHIC TEXTILE AND CRAFT WORKSHOP
Mon 7 Dec 2015

10:00 – 16:00

SUITABLE FOR Adults

Work with textile experts Sally Pointer and Gareth Riseborough to discover more about the research and processes used to create replica Neolithic and Bronze Age clothing for Stonehenge and get hands-on experience with materials and techniques. Learn to make cordage from natural fibres and deer sinew and experiment with braiding, twining and looping techniques. All materials are supplied, and using flint tools, you will craft a needle from red deer antler to take home along with the resources to continue your project.

Member (Adult) £60
Adult £65

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PREHISTORIC TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP
Mon 2 Nov 2015 10-4

SUITABLE FOR Adults

Join skilled bushcraft and ancient technology experts Guy Hagg and Joe O’Leary at England’s most famous Neolithic site for this one day hands on prehistoric technology workshop. Learn how to make your own arrows, atlatl spear throwers or darts. Develop your knowledge and skills through the day and go home with your own handmade piece of ancient technology.

Member (Adult) £80
Adult £85

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PREHISTORIC POTTERY DEMONSTRATION
Sun 10 Jan 2016 10:00-16:00

SUITABLE FOR Everyone

Throughout the day, Graham Taylor will demonstrate how to make a pottery toolkit and decorate replica pots as well as how to fire them using authentic prehistoric methods. Graham will use a handling collection of replica pots, tools and artefacts to bring prehistory to life.

English Heritage members Free
Adult £14.50
Child, 5-15 years £8.70
Concession £13.00
Family £37.70

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PREHISTORIC POTTERY WORKSHOP
Mon 11 Jan 2016 10am-4pm

SUITABLE FOR Adults

Join expert potter Graham Taylor at Stonehenge this winter for our hands-on workshop. You will make your own prehistoric pottery tool kit and learn the basics of ancient pottery skills as well as creating, firing and decorating your own Neolithic and Bronze-Age replica to take home.

Member (Adult) £70
Adult £75

english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/events

english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/sale-of-the-centuries/

SALE OF THE CENTURIES

Mon 26 Oct – Sun 1 Nov 2015 10:00-16:00

Stonehenge visitor centre

SUITABLE FOR Families

Visit Stonehenge in October half term to take part in our two part interactive, theatrical performance which will take you back 100 years to the dramatic auction of 1915 where Stonehenge was put up for sale! Bring the family and take part in the bidding in this centenary year.

English Heritage members Free
Adult £14.50
Child, 5-15 years £8.70
Concession £13.00
Family £37.70

The Festival is a huge celebration of our incredible history here in the UK, and you don’t have to be an archaeologist to join in. It’s a chance for everyone to explore and uncover the past, see archaeology in action, and bring the history on your doorstep to life. We look forward to seeing you there.

Find out what’s going on near you during the Festival of Archaeology!

archaeologyfestival.org.uk/whatson

Use the form to search all our events nationwide. Choose from over 1,000 events across the UK hosted by more than 400 organisers. You can sort your search by region, keyword (including county), event period or type.

Step into the world of the henge builders for the day and explore later Neolithic Avebury with archaeologist Dr Nick Snashall and Museum Curator Dr. Ros Cleal. The day includes a field visit to Avebury Henge and stone circles and draws on finds from the museum collections.
Periods: Prehistory

archaeologyfestival.org.uk/events/1925

Willing adventurers required to dig deep into Wiltshire’s past. History hunters young and old can discover artefacts from Old Sarum, find out how objects are found and preserved, and get hands-on with a spot of digging. Dirty hands are a must!
Periods: Prehistory, Saxons and Vikings, Romans

archaeologyfestival.org.uk/events/2041

In a world heritage fist, the ancient goddess Sulis may be called upon to warm today’s true believers using Bath Abbey.

Although the Abbey was granted planning permission for this unique £18 million scheme two years ago, this month, engineers have begun to explore the ancient Roman drain that runs beside the Abbey. At present, the drain empties 850,000 litres of natural spring water every day into the River Avon. They hope to divert the warm water instead through a network of underground pipes to provide a world-first natural under floor heating system for the abbey. Church leaders believe the plans would provide a unique source of green energy for the abbey and help the 10th century building reconnect with the city’s ancient roots.

The Bath springs are the warmest geothermal springs found in the UK. The water which bubbles up from the ground at Bath falls as rain on the nearby Mendip Hills. It percolates down through limestone aquifers to a depth of between 2,700 and 4,300 metres (8,900 and 14,100 ft) where geothermal energy raises the water temperature to between 64 and 96 °C (147.2 and 204.8 °F). Under pressure, the heated water rises to the surface along fissures and faults in the limestone. This process is similar to an artificial one known as Enhanced Geothermal System which also makes use of the high pressures and temperatures below the Earth’s crust. Hot water at a temperature of 46 °C (114.8 °F) rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 litres (257,364 imp gal) every day, from a geological fault (the Pennyquick fault).

The first shrine at the site of the hot springs was built by Celts, and was dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva. Geoffrey of Monmouth in his largely fictional Historia Regum Britanniae describes how in 836 BC the spring was discovered by the British king Bladud who built the first baths. Early in the 18th century Geoffrey’s obscure legend was given great prominence as a royal endorsement of the waters’ qualities, with the embellishment that the spring had cured Bladud and his herd of pigs of leprosy through wallowing in the warm mud.

In the middle of the 20th century, the city’s swimming pool sourced its water directly from the King’s Spring through one of three pipelines beneath the River Avon. However, the old municipal hot pools were closed in 1978 after the discovery of an infectious organism in one stratum of the aquifer. After that date, bathing was prohibited. In 1983 a new spa water bore-hole was sunk, providing a clean and safe supply of spa water for drinking in the Pump Room.

dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3030124/Bath-Abbey-benefit-ancient-Roman-plumbing-Engineers-tap-thermal-springs-provide-underfloor-heating.html

The National Trust says it has saved the site of one of the first battles known about on British soil which was under threat because of rabbits.

The site of the battle of Crickley Hill, near Gloucester, which took place more than 5,000 years ago between rival tribes, was in danger of being destroyed through erosion caused, largely, by rabbits.

The National Trust put up fences to stop erosion and back filled rabbit warrens to preserve the iron age hillfort.

Archaeologists said a major battle took place there in around 3,600BC, and the site was placed on the Heritage At Risk register until this year.

westerndailypress.co.uk/Britain-s-oldest-battle-site-saved-destruction/story-23668110-detail/story.html

avalonmarshes.org/news?slug=launch-that-canoe-

In the past the reed swamp, bogs and mires of the Avalon Marshes were difficult to cross! Neolithic man overcame this by constructing trackways. However, in the Iron Age the marshes became far wetter and dugout canoes replaced these trackways.

Working under the guidance of Richard Brunning of the South West Heritage Trusts’ Hands on Heritage volunteers have recently completed two sections of replica trackway.

Today saw the literal launch of their next project having completed the construction of a dugout canoe. The canoe was launched at Natural England’s Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve and the volunteers paddled it through the open water between tall reeds as people would have done all those years ago.

The canoe was carved out of a single Beech tree donated by the Forestry Commission. The tree came from the Blackdown Hills near Castle Neroche. Whilst it was not moved across Somerset by manual labour it was hard manual work that carved the canoe from the tree! Replica Iron Age tools and the sheer hard graft of the volunteers were the key to success.

The volunteers are based at the Avalon Marshes Centre and meet up each Wednesday, come rain or shine, grafting away to replicate the techniques used in past times. The Hands on Heritage project is run by the South West Heritage Trust and is part of the Heritage Lottery funded Avalon Marshes Landscape Partnership.

THE DUGOUT CANOES

During the three years of the Avalon Marshes Partnership, we aim to construct a different dugout canoe each year, based on archaeological examples from different periods in prehistory.

The first one is an oak example based on later prehistoric vessels. This will be similar to the Shapwick canoe now on display at the Museum of Somerset.
somerset.gov.uk/museumofsomerset

It is currently under-construction by our Hands on Heritage volunteers, who are using tools familiar and fitting to those used in the Iron Age.

Keep an eye on our blog to stay up to date with our progress:

IN SEARCH OF TIMBER…
avalonarchaeology.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/in-search-of-timber/
PADDLING THROUGH PREHISTORY PT. 1…
avalonarchaeology.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/paddling-through-prehistory-pt-1/
PADDLING THROUGH PREHISTORY P. 2…
avalonarchaeology.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/paddling-through-prehistory-pt-2/

ttp://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/11557066.Fears_over_Westbury_waste_centre___s_chimney/?ref=rss

First published Friday 24 October 2014 in Latest News by Katie Smith

Questions have been raised over a multi-million pound renewable energy centre which could be built in Westbury.

Councillors attending the highways, planning and development committee meeting on Monday raised factors that will be considered in a consultation requested by Hills Group Ltd, which is behind the project.

The meeting was chaired by Russell Hawker, Wiltshire councillor for Westbury West, who said councillors were still absorbing details of the plans released last week.

Northacre Renewable Energy Limited, part of the Hills Group, wants to build the centre on a 6.6-acre plot between Hills Waste Solutions’ Northacre Resource Recovery Centre and Arla Foods Westbury Dairies.

It will be sited in three buildings up to 20 metres high, but Hills is yet to release figures on the height of the chimney.

Cllr Hawker said: “The height of the chimney needs to cater for the possibility that we could get plume grounding towards the top of the hill running up by Newtown and Studland Park.

“It is something that definitely needs to be examined.

“We would expect the height to be at least higher than the top of the houses [on the hill by Newtown and Studland Park] which means higher than Lafarge.

“This is potentially an enormous chimney.”

The centre will use a process called gasification, which heats converted waste, processed at the existing Northacre Resource Recovery Centre, up to 1,400 degrees centigrade and converts it to gas to drive a turbine.

The second point raised at the meeting was what the exact chemical composition of the emissions would be.

“Technology is much better now,” said Cllr Hawker. “It’s bound to be more filtered than before but we still want to know what is coming out.”

The final key point raised was lorry movement and which routes the lorries would be taking to the proposed centre.

Cllr Hawker added: “I am in no doubt there will be a number of objections to this in due course.”

Cherhill is a village in North Wiltshire and lies nestled beneath the Cherhill Down, well known for its White Horse and views of the Lansdowne Monument. This landscape is of national significance as recognised by its designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Plans are afoot to build a village hall with large car park on the field at the end of Park Lane, Cherhill on the corner of the A4. This is a green field and lies directly opposite the Cherhill Down and White Horse (the photo shown is taken from this field). The field is outside of the village boundary and Park Lane is a Conservation area.

Please sign this petition to stop any development on this field, whether the use is for community or housing. To build here would change the landscape of this area, affecting the Conservation area within Cherhill, the scenery from the A4 and visual approach into the village, as well as being highly visible from the Cherhill Down. The additional noise, traffic, artificial lighting and disruption will detract from the natural beauty of this area and present road traffic safety issues.

change.org/p/wiltshire-council-stop-any-development-on-park-lane-field-in-cherhill

facebook.com/savecherhillfield

A remarkable new Stone Avenue has been located at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Avebury in Wiltshire.

the-stonehenge-enigma.info/2015/03/breaking-news-new-stone-avenue.html

As part of the national heritage open days scheme, Wiltshire Museum will be open for free to the public this Saturday, 13 September between 1000-1700

heritageopendays.org.uk/directory/wiltshire-museum

The Museum and Library have been at their current location in Long Street since 1873, occupying first the old Victorian Devizes Grammar School, then the two Georgian houses on either side of the Entrance Hall. Further extensions have increased its size to the present day. It has overseen many of the famous excavations on Salisbury Plain and the Marlborough Downs made by the Cunnington family and is a repository of the artefacts and writings of earlier antiquaries such as Sir Richard Colt Hoare of Stourhead House.

Wiltshire Museum
Long Street, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1NS

Find out what’s open in your local area – Every where listed is free for the day!

heritageopendays.org.uk/directory/advanced-search

For more information about the European Heritage Days, visit www.ehd.coe.int

In the UK, there are altogether five open day schemes that are part of European Heritage Days:

England: Heritage Open Days (11-14 September 2014)
London: Open House London (20-21 September 2014)
Scotland: Doors Open Days (every weekend in September)
Wales: Open Doors (every weekend in September)
Northern Ireland: European Heritage Open Days (13-14 September 2014)

Heritage Open Days was established in 1994 as England’s contribution to the European Heritage Days.

A joint action by the Council of Europe and the European Commission, the scheme was initiated in 1991 by the Council of Europe to raise appreciation for Europe’s rich and diverse cultural assets and their need for care and protection. The central principle was as simple as it was compelling: to throw open the doors to historic monuments and buildings, in particular those normally closed to the public. One of the key requirements was to offer free access to all properties taking part in the European Heritage Days.

Today, European Heritage Days are held annually in September in 50 signatory states to the European Cultural Convention. From the Baltic to the Balkans, from Iceland to the Iberian Peninsula, thousands of events not only highlight the dazzling diversity of Europe’s heritage, but also its intercultural links. As varied as the cultural landscapes are the approaches in putting the idea into practice.

Karl Lee, flintknapper and primitive technologist will be performing his art as part of the Festival of Archaeology 2014.
This event is free and runs from 10:00-04:00 on Sat 12th Jul 2014 at Chippenham Museum & Heritage Centre 10, Market Place, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3HF Tel: 01249 705020 Email: [email protected] Web: www.chippenham.gov.uk

Karl will be not only be making various flint impliments but selling items from his previous demonstrations.
For an insight into Karl’s skill, see video from his previous demonstrations at the museum in 2011, a Ovate Hand Axe as used during the Paleolithic period, youtube.com/watch?v=xsHGXkxyQDU and a leaf shaped arrow head typical of the ones used during the Neolitchic period. youtube.com/watch?v=1rz99-0Zryg

For a profile of Karl, see the primitive technologist website – primitive-technology.co.uk/karl-lee/

STONEHENGE AND AVEBURY (MAP 1:10 000 SCALE)
EXPLORING THE WORLD HERITAGE SITE

english-heritage.org.uk/publications/stonehenge-avebury-map/

amazon.co.uk/Stonehenge-Avebury-Exploring-Heritage-English/dp/1848021267

Ideal for walkers and anyone wishing to explore the fascinating landscape of Stonehenge and Avebury
A UNESCO World Heritage Site – internationally important for its unique prehistoric landscape
Shows visible and hidden archaeological remains

The Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site is internationally important for its outstanding prehistoric monuments. Stonehenge is the most architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the world, while Avebury is the largest. Around them lie numerous other monuments and sites, which demonstrate over 2,000 years of continuous use. Together they form a unique prehistoric landscape.There is no better way to learn about an experience the monuments than to go out and explore the World Heritage Site on foot. This map is ideal for walkers and others wishing to explore the fascinating landscape of the two areas of the World Heritage Site. The map uses an Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 base and draws upon information from the English Heritage Archive and recent archaeological investigations. With Stonehenge on one side and Avebury on the other, the map shows and describes both visible and hidden remains, with information about where you can find out more.The map is divided into two parts on a durable double sided water resistant sheet.

Status: Completed
Format: Map
Size: 240 x 133 mm (folded)
Publication Date: 15/12/2013
Product Code: 51757
ISBN: 9781848021266
Series: Archaeology
Price: £9.99

The Stonehenge Neolithic Houses – Latest pictures and background links

An English Heritage experimental archaeology project to build houses from 2500 BC at Stonehenge.

Follow their blog on twitter for updates! – twitter.com/NeolithicHouses

and get the whole story on wordpress – neolithichouses.wordpress.com/

Wiltshire Archaeology Field Group (WAFG).

wiltshireafg.weebly.com/

Archaeology in Wiltshire Conference 2014 – 9:30 am, Saturday, 15 March, 2014

A Conference exploring recent archaeological work in Wiltshire, including developer-funded work. This builds on last year’s very successful conference, attended by over 200 people.

The Conference will start at 9.30 for coffee, with talks from 10.00 until about 4.45.

The Conference is being organised by the Wiltshire Museum and the Archaeology Field Group of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society.

The Conference is being held at the Corn Exchange in Devizes Market Place. The most convenient car park is at Station Road – follow this link to a Google Map. It is a very short walk up Station Road to the Market Place, and the Corn Exchange is immediately on your right, next to the Bear Hotel – follow this link in Google Street View.

Confirmed so far
* Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger – Overview of recent archaeological work in Wiltshire
* Richard Osgood – Operation Nightingale: Excavating a Spitfire on Salisbury Plain
* Roy Canham – LIDAR: Seeing the Ancient Landscapes of Bradford-on-Avon
* David Sabin – Recent Geophysics surveys in Wiltshire
* Overview of recent work by the Archaeology Field Group
We are busy talking to possible speakers and there are more to come ...

Booking:Please telephone the Wiltshire Museum on 01380 727369 to book your ticket. We can take credit / debit card payments over the telephone. The Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 12-4. The Museum is not open on Mondays Jan – March. You may also send a cheque made payable to WANHS.

Cost: £25 (£20 for WANHS Members)

Wed Nov 6 12:05am – 1:55am Film4

Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting. He puts 3-D technology to a profound use, taking us back in time over 30,000 years.

radiotimes.com/film/cctd2/cave-of-forgotten-dreams

wernerherzog.com/index.php?id=64

Although news of the latest dig at Avebury failed to make it to the TMA in real time, you can catch up with some of the events here......

West Kennet Avenue Settlement Site – ntarchaeostonehengeaveburywhs.wordpress.com

English Heritage has been given £80m in the government’s Spending Review as part of plans for the organisation to become a charity. Some of the £80m awarded by the government will help to set up the charity so it will be fully operational by March 2015.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23064356

Thursday 5th September 2013 2.15 pm

Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Cocklebury Road, Chippenham SN15 3QN

An insight into two of the richest archaeological sites in the country. This talk will help you explore these ancient landscapes and celebrate their contribution to our understanding of our prehistoric ancestors. Limited 30 people

Admission £3.50 (concessions £2.50). Spaces are limited so please buy your ticket in advance. Telephone 01249 705500 or visit our Help Desk at the History Centre. (Payment by credit/debit card or cheque available for the purchase of 2 or more tickets).

Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Cocklebury Road, Chippenham SN15 3QN

Ever wondered what the county archaeology team based in the History Centre does?
Curious to take a tour of the Conservation Labs upstairs?
Maybe you would like to find out about recent excavations, hoards and the work of local archaeology field units?

The Archaeology and Conservation Fair on Sunday 14th July at the History Centre is a fantastic FREE event with stands from 20 local archaeological organisations and a programme of free 10 minute talks that will tell you all about archaeology in the county.

Open from 11am to 4pm, the fair includes stands from Wiltshire’s museums, Wessex archaeology, the National Trust and English Heritage. There will be plenty to interest visitors of all ages, including information on courses, volunteering, and fieldwork. Younger visitors will enjoy making their own Stonehenge, trying out a sandpit dig, handling a range of real objects and finding out about the Young Archaeologists clubs running in Wiltshire and Swindon. The ten minute talks’ programme will run throughout the day and includes talks on the First World War project, Finding the Forgotten, the conservation of a large Romano-British pot found in Highworth, recent surveys, excavations and the discovery of 2 important early iron age hoards. Please see the full talks programme for times of individual talks. Tours of the conservation labs will run all day and you can visit the county archaeology service to find out about their work and see the Historic Environment Register demonstrated.

For further information on this event see the History Centre events page

wshc.eu/home/events.html

Iron age gold coins go on disply in Market Harborough. Article from Leicestershire County Council’s website:

“This hoard of ten gold Iron Age coins was found in 2010 by Steve Bestwick whilst metal detecting on fields near Peatling Magna, in the District of Harborough. They will be displayed permanently at Harborough Museum from Tuesday 17 July 2012.

The coins were probably produced between 60-50 BC in Gallia Belgica, the Latin name for modern north western France and the Low Countries. They show a stylised horse moving right, surrounded by symbols on one side and are blank on the other.

These coins are slightly earlier than the majority of the coins in the Hallaton Treasure which is also displayed at Harborough Museum. It is rare to find hoards of early imported coins so far north, others are confined to East Anglia and the South East.”

Further info and images of the coins can be found on the Portable Antiquities Scheme

Heads up for this years festival which runs from Saturday 14th to Sunday 29th July.

Check out the CBA website at festival.britarch.ac.uk/ for current details of what’s going down in your hood.

The Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre will be hold an open day on Sat 14 July; 10.00 & 14.00
Meet the Wiltshire Council archaeologists & conservators. Find out what they do & have a go yourself! Talk by Julian Richards of Meet the Ancestors. …
Meet the Wiltshire Council archaeologists and conservators. Find out what they do and have a go yourself! Bring along your finds for identification and hear about recently uncovered hoards. A rare opportunity to explore the conservation labs and learn about the conservators’ work. Find out more about Wiltshire’s amazing archaeological landscape with the county archaeologists. Have a go at excavating and find out how to conserve your finds. Talk by Julian Richards (Meet The Ancestors) Competition for children with prizes awarded on the day.
Location: Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Cocklebury Road, Chippenham SN15 3QN. 5 minutes walk from Chippenham Railway Station. Please see our website for directions: www.wshc.eu
Org: Wiltshire Council Name: Nancy Danks Tel: 01249 705500 Email: [email protected]

The Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre will also be repeating last years popular event on Wed 25 July; 10.00-16.00.
Free archaeology activity day for all the family. Learn the ancient skills of flint knapping & metal working with experts, or make your own clay pot. …
Free, fun, archaeology activity day. For all the family. Learn the ancient skills of flint knapping and metal working with experts Karl Lee and Neil Burridge. Or make your own clay pots, jewellery or mosaics with the museum’s education team. For more details contact the museum on 01249 705020 or email [email protected]
Location: Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre, 10 Market Place, Chippenham SN15 3HF.
Org: Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre Name: Melissa Barnett Tel: 01249 705020 Email: [email protected]
Web: www.chippenham.gov.uk/museum--heritage-centre.aspx

Karl Lee’s flint knapping skills are brilliant and you can get an idea of what to expect by viewing some of the videos I shoot at last years event. Neil Burridge’s Bronze age casting skills are also featured

youtube.com/chippychance?gl=GB&uid=YTYRSQjC72ET62TCgvl2Lg

Chance

Stonehenge tunnel idea resurrected
7:10am Tuesday 17th January 2012 By Annie Riddle

The idea of building a tunnel under Stonehenge has been resurrected by a consortium of council leaders from across the South West.

Wiltshire was among the authorities represented at a summit meeting to discuss A303 improvements, organised by Somerset County Council last week. They discussed ways to raise the £1billion needed to widen the remaining single lane sections of the road between Wiltshire and Devon. The tunnel, which would have cost more than £500million at the last count, is one of five separate schemes they believe are needed.

Somerset?€™s leader Ken Maddock believes there is scope to seek new funding in the light of Chancellor George Osborne?€™s autumn statement, which said that pension funds could be used to fund up to £20billion of infrastructure schemes.
He said: ?€œThis is a fabulous opportunity to put a joint bid together that will bring huge benefits to the whole of the West Country.?€

The 2.1km tunnel plans were shelved in 2007 after the government said the soaring cost was not justified.

salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/salisbury/salisburynews/9474384.Stonehenge_tunnel_idea_resurrected/

Members’ Only Event – £30.00

Date: Fri 2 Mar
Property: Old Sarum
Time: AM tour – 10.00 to 12.00/PM tour 13.00 to 15.00
Suitable for: Adults

Go back in time and join archaeologist, writer and broadcaster Julian Richards for a special tour of Old Sarum Castle. Discover what life was like for the people who occupied this ancient site; how they lived and how they survived through the Iron Ages and beyond. Includes refreshments.

english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/events/old-sarum-life-in-the-iron-age-and-beyond-os-2-mar

Plans to close a main road running past Stonehenge have been backed by the government following a public inquiry.

English Heritage wanted to stop traffic from travelling close to the stones and “restore the dignity” of the World Heritage Site by closing the A344.
Following a public inquiry, an independent inspector recommended part of the road could be closed off.
Roads minister Mike Penning has approved the plans and £3.5m will be used to improve nearby roads.

In June 2010 Wiltshire Council granted planning permission for a new visitors centre at Airman’s Corner, 1.5 miles (2km) west of Stonehenge.
At the public inquiry, opponents claimed the plans would give English Heritage a monopoly on access to the site.
The scheme will see an 879 metre section of the A344 from its junction with the A303 closed.
Part of the B3086 from its junction with the A344 will also be closed and “increased capacity” added at Longbarrow Crossroads.

A decision over the remainder of the A344 and other byways will be decided by Wiltshire Council.

“This is an important contribution to improve the setting of the monument and ensure its preservation as an iconic World Heritage Site,” said Mr Penning.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-15540031

(Don’t know why this is not posted in the news section but here goes...)

The CBA Festival of British Archaeology is ane annual extravaganza of heritage events coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology and this year started on Saturday 16th and runs until Sunday 31st July

Each year the Festival showcases the very best of British archaeology, by presenting hundreds of special events organised and held by museums, local societies, national and countryside parks, universities, and heritage organisations across the UK. The Festival presents everyone the opportunity to learn about their local heritage, to see archaeology in action, and to get involved.

Events ranging from excavation open days and behind-the-scenes tours to family fun days, hands-on activities, guided walks, talks and finds identification workshops take place all over the UK during this special fortnight.

To find out what’s on in your area goto festival.britarch.ac.uk/ and search your region

Minutes of a meeting of Avebury Parish Council held on the 15th March 2011 at The Social Centre, High Street, Avebury SN8 1RF

c. Avebury Solstice Operational Planning Meeting:

(i) Policing will effectively be the same as last year despite the Swindon Music Festival. The police will have air and public order support. There will be police bikes, a passive drug dog, tow truck and two drop bins at the campsite and pub. The Police are encouraging a family event. Inspector Andy Noble will talk to people in the village if there are any concerns.
(ii) Problems are more likely Mon/Tues (20 and 21 June) than Tues/Wed due to people en route to Stonehenge.
(iii) Land incursions – police can only act if a breach of the peace occurs.
(iv) The campsite will be open 9.00 Monday to 14:00 Wednesday.
(v) Policing 6.00 Monday to 23:00 Wednesday
(vi) Parking in Manor grounds 20.00 on Monday to 10.00 Tuesday
(vii) Kevin Oliver Wiltshire Council Events Manager is looking at what can be done for West Kennett.
(viii) Silbury car park closed 18:00 to 10:00 on Monday and Tuesday
(ix) It is not yet known if the Glebe field will be available this year: approximately 30 campers were turned away last year

Draft minutes of a meeting of Avebury Parish Council held on the 19th April 2011 at The Social Centre, High Street, Avebury SN8 1RF

•Glebe Field: Minute ref. 11c. The Chairman confirmed that the Glebe field will not be available for Solstice camping.

aveburyparishcouncil.org/minutes2011.html

Information on past campsite consultancy

nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-avebury_camp_consult.pdf

Discover the Stonehenge Landscape

Tue 19 July 11.00–16.00

Discover the Stonehenge landscape with Neolithic expert and National Trust archaeologist Dr. Nick Snashall.

Join Nick on this day out to explore the Stonehenge landscape and find out about the latest exciting discoveries. This is part of the Festival of British Archaeology–look out for complementary walks running in the Avebury half of the World Heritage Site this week.

Meet at the Stonehenge car park (not NT) by the National Trust map panel on the grassy area of the main car park. A parking charge applies for non-members of English Heritage or the National Trust.Please dress for the weather and wear stout footwear. Bring a packed lunch and a drink. Access is by pedestrian and farm gates; terrain is mostly grassland with some trackways and is often uneven underfoot. Cattle and sheep graze the gently sloping downs.

Accompanied older children welcome – Young Archaeologist Club (YAC) members free. Dogs on leads welcome. All tickets £15

==========================

Monuments of the Stonehenge Landscape

Thu 21 & Mon 25 July 18.30–21.00

Explore the monuments of the Stonehenge landscape with Sonia Heywood – you’ll soon discover that they’re much more than simple earthworks.

They have a 4,000 year history that tells us much about our past. Our four mile walk will take us on a journey from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age. Part of the Festival of British Archaeology, this walk is run in partnership with Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum–accompanying artefact handling sessions are available at the museum. Places strictly limited.

Meeting at the Stonehenge car park (not NT) by the bright green National Trust information panel. A car parking charge applies for non-members of the Trust or English Heritage.

Dress for the weather and wear stout footwear. Bring sunscreen, a hat and a cooling drink, as there’s little shade up on the downs. Access is by pedestrian gates; most terrain is grassland, often uneven underfoot. Cattle and sheep graze the gently sloping downs. Please note, we may be crossing the A344 road, at your own risk. Accompanied children welcome–YACs free. Dogs on leads welcome.

This walk is run in partnership with Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum–accompanying artefact handling sessions are available at the museum, priced £6, or £5 if booked alongside this walk. Children £1 (YACs free).

Contact the Museum on 01722 233151 or see www.salisburymuseum.org.uk for information and to book.

================

Summer Landscape Walk

Wed 27 July 14.00–18.00

Discover the landscape, its archaeology – from prehistory to the last century – and its varied wildlife.

This is a walk of about three and a half miles around Stonehenge Down, the great henge of Durrington Walls, the route of the former military railway and King Barrow Ridge.

Meeting at the Stonehenge car park (not NT) by the National Trust map panel, on the grassy area of the main car park. A car parking charge applies for non-members of the Trust or English Heritage.

Dress for the weather and wear stout footwear. Bring sunscreen, a hat and a cooling drink, as there’s little shade up on the downs. Access is by pedestrian and farm gates; the terrain is mostly grassland and trackways, often uneven underfoot. Cattle and sheep graze the gently sloping downs.

Adults £4, children free. Accompanied children welcome, free. Dogs on leads welcome.

===================

Storywalking with the Ancients

Thu 28 July 18.30–20.30

Adventure through time with storyteller Lizzie Bryant, telling stories inspired by the Stonehenge landscape–from ancient mythic landforms to man-made earthworks. Hear exciting stories from times before Stonehenge to the time of the first aeroplanes taking flight.

Meet at the Stonehenge Car Park (not NT) by the National Trust map panel on the grassy area of the main car park.
Please dress suitably for adventuring across the open downs and fields.
We recommend sunscreen and you may like to bring a drink and a snack.
Access is by pedestrian and farm gates; terrain is mostly grassland with some trackways and is often uneven underfoot.
Cattle and sheep graze the gently sloping downs.

Adults £4, accompanied children welcome, free. Dogs on leads welcome.

For more details and to book any of the four events listed above.......

Location: Stonehenge car park SP4 7DE. Directions sent on booking.
Org: National Trust, Stonehenge Landscape
Name: Lucy
Tel: 01980 664780
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stonehengelandscape

Mon 18 to Wed 20 July 09.00–12.00 & 18.00–21.00

Six guided walks from Durrington Walls to Stonehenge with a focus on photographing the archaeology we encounter.

These guided walks will explore the landscape around Stonehenge while taking photographs of the monuments en route. We will begin at Durrington Walls and walk via the eastern end of the Stonehenge Cursus and King’s Barrow Ridge to meet the Avenue where we will then walk towards Stonehenge. The walk will take you on a journey through Stonehenge’s prehistoric landscape to approach the stones along the same route as Neolithic worshippers.

There will be plenty of opportunities to photograph along the way with tips on composition and light. No experience of photography is needed and any type of camera can be used. Please bring your camera, suitable walking clothes and boots, drink and snack. Spaces are limited on each walk so that each member of the group will have plenty of opportunity for questions and photographic advice.

Free, please book.

Location: Woodhenge car park. Wilts & Dorset services 5, 6 & 16. 1.5 miles north of Amesbury, signposted off the A345 immediately south of Durrington.

Org: inHeritage
Name: Bill Bevan
Tel: 0114 2345411
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.billbevanphotography.co.uk

Sat 23 July 11.00–16.00

Celebrate HLF project ‘Celts and Romans in North Wiltshire’: tours of Barbury Castle, storytelling, hands-on activities.
Find out about Truckle Hill and the Chiseldon Cauldrons. …

With funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund Wessex Archaeology has been working with community volunteers involved in the excavation of the Truckle Hill Roman Bath-House and the investigation of the Chiseldon Horde of Iron Age Cauldrons to engage more people in the Iron Age and Roman Heritage of North Wiltshire. As the project comes to an end we would like to share everything we’ve learned about this fascinating archaeology with you through a day of family fun.

During the day you can take a tour of Barbury Castle, create Celtic and Roman themed arts and crafts, listen to storytelling, and explore these amazing sites through hands-on activities and displays.

Location: Barbury Castle County Park, Wroughton, Swindon. Barbury Castle Country Park is south-west of Chiseldon. From M4 Junction 15, follow the A346 towards Marlborough until you see signs for ‘Chiseldon’. Then follow the signs for ‘Barbury Castle’.The nearest rail link to Barbury Castle is Swindon.
From Swindon bus # 71 or 73 can be taken to within the vicinity of Barbury Castle. The walk to the park is about one mile and uphill.

Org: Wessex Archaeology
Name: Allison Marcucci
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/celts-and-romans-in-north-wiltshire

Marden Henge: Another Talk by Dr. Jim Leary

Friday 10 June 2011 20:00

Coronation Hall – Alton Barnes

A lecture by Jim Leary, English Heritage.
Learn about the henges at Marden, the oldest known house in the Pewsey Vale, and what happened to the Hatfield Barrow

Booking: No booking necessary, payable on the door

Cost: £4.00; Senior Citizens and Students £3.00; payable on the door

The world is set to experience the biggest full moon for almost two decades when the satellite reaches its closest point to Earth next weekend.

On 19 March ( zenith 18:10 GMT UK), the full moon will appear unusually large in the night sky as it reaches a point in its cycle known as ‘lunar perigee’.

Stargazers will be treated to a spectacular view when the moon approaches Earth at a distance of 221,567 miles in its elliptical orbit – the closest it will have passed to our planet since 1992.

The full moon could appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter in the sky, especially when it rises on the eastern horizon at sunset or is provided with the right atmospheric conditions.

uk.news.yahoo.com/38/20110309/tsc-world-to-see-biggest-full-moon-in-tw-98fda55.html

Le Grand Dolmen de Bagneux, its museum and adjoining restaurant/brassiere is for sale.

Along with this magnificent Dolmen, there is a:

•A building consisting of a business (now bar-brewery)
•An apartment of 63 m2
•Another apartment of 140 m2 on a plot of 2300 m2.

If you are interested, contact the current owners, Sylvie and Pascal Normand

Phone, fax and e-mail supplied on web site

translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=fr&tl=en&u=saumur-dolmen.com/annonce.html&rurl=translate.google.com&usg=ALkJrhgcE4Ow3zJbicy4F_kzgjOXTSALlA

EuroPreArt aims to establish a lasting data-base of European prehistoric art documentation, to launch the base of an European institutional network devoted to this domain, and to contribute to the awareness of the diversity and richness of European Prehistoric Art, as one of the oldest artistic expression of Humankind.

It will improve methodologies on techniques of inventory, storing data, interdisciplinarity, networking and accessibility/diffusion, namely using new information technologies.

The project will focus on selected clusters, from rock art to mobile art, from Palaeolithic to the Iron Age, from old stored records to modern field work studies.

The project intends to create a model, introduce textual and image data, publish a guide of good conduct and present the results to the wider public on this web-site, open to other contributions.

EuroPreArt, funded by the European Union, Education and Culture 2000 Programme

europreart.net/

TMAEds – Could not find a “slot” for this one as pan-european.....

2011 Pagan calendar now available as Android app

pagancalendar.co.uk/

This Pagan calendar shows Pagan, Witch, Druid and Heathen festivals, dates and events. Important neo-pagan festivals and religious holidays are included even if research into the origins are sketchy, as they are important in modern paganism.
Understanding festivals roots is a good idea, for the fire festivals, research the Coligny calendar and Margaret Murray.
For the Celtic tree calendar, research Robert Graves.
Sources of information on old pagan festivals and calendar dates include the Coligny calendar, Cormac’s Glossary and Bede’s writings.
Pagan carvings, pictures, artifacts and writings help validate certain events. But many events have a certain amount of guesswork added to make them useable today.

Paganism has always been evolving, and our celebrations do too. As such, both modern and old events are included on this calendar for you to enjoy as you will. The dates are stored in GMT time and adjusted to the time zone you select.

Everything on this site is free.

The calendar is available as a download PDF, ical, Outlook or Android App for your smartphone.

pagancalendar.co.uk/

A mass pile up on the A303? Carnage at the summer solstice? Visitor centre gets vacuum cleaner sponsor?

Oh my God, Ziller! – Monday 12th July @ 8 p.m. sees the UK premier of the SYFY movie, Stonehenge Apocalypse (2010)

When a group of archaeologists dig up a human skeleton near the historical monument of Stonehenge, an ancient piece of machinery hidden beneath the bedrock is discovered. Not knowing what it could be the workers accidentally trigger the mechanism and start a chain of events that may very well end the world as we know it...

For spoilers and reviews see – imdb.com/title/tt1488598/

Warning: This film clashes with university challenge in which a team from Cardiff take on Brookes University, Oxford

Thu 29 July 11.00-15.30
Start point TBC; directions will be sent on booking

Join a Neolithic expert and archaeologist on this walk of around 8 miles through the Stonehenge landscape. Booking essential.

National Trust – 01980 664780
[email protected]
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stonehengelandscape

Sat 24 – Sun 25 July 10.00 – 17.00
Old Sarum, Salisbury

This is your chance to meet a real archaeologist and to uncover artefacts from Old Sarum’s history.

English Heritage – 01722 335398
[email protected]
www.english-heritage.org.uk/oldsarum

Fri 30 – Sat 31 July 11.00-15.00
Venue – check website for full details.

Excavation open day. Come along to find out more about reality of life in Exmoor’s Iron Age some 2500 years ago.

Exmoor National Park Authority – 01398 322289
[email protected]
www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk

Event is part of the Festival of British Archaeology – 17th July to 1st August 2010