Digging for History Pre-Dig Talk Friday 31st May

The Festival is launching a very exciting new Chalke Valley Archaeology project this year, led by Alex Langlands, one of the stars of the BBC’s hugely successful historic Farms series.  Alex has recently just completed his PhD on Anglo-Saxon history in the Wessex area, and so combined with his considerable archaeological experience, is well-placed to conduct what we hope will be the first of a series of annual digs in the Valley.  As Michael Wood, another CVHF regular, was quick to point out, the Chalke Valley has some of the best Anglo-Saxon records of anywhere in the country, including the first recorded woman’s will, from the village of Alvediston.  So it’s apt that our first dig should be at a deserted medieval site at the edge of that village – a site where a horde of Roman coins was earlier discovered.  It makes our dig on June 16th a tantalising prospect…

Also joining us are renowned archaeologists Jackie McKinley, one of our leading bones experts and a former Time Team regular, and Mike Heaton, an expert on building archaeology.  We’re also joined by Adrian Green, the Director of the quite superb Salisbury Museum.

In an effort to brief those attending the dig and to give a taster of what might be to come, Alex, Jackie and Mike will be giving a free talk to all those volunteers signed up for the dig tomorrow night, Friday 31st May, at 7.30pm in Broad Chalke Village Hall.  During the course of the evening, they will be sharing some of their discoveries during the pre-dig surveys and research work they have been carrying out.

You don’t have to be signed up for the Dig to come along tomorrow, and to be honest, it’ll be a fascinating talk in its own right.  And we can promise you one thing: if you weren’t interested in archaeology before hand, you will be by the time their talk is over.

First come, first served – see you there tomorrow!