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EXHIBITION
Ice Age Art Now
Cliffe Castle Museum, Keighley, Bradford
21 June-14 September 2025
http://www.britishmuseum.org/ice-age-art-now
This British Museum partnership exhibition highlights the remarkable art created in Europe at the end of the last Ice Age, between 24,000 and 12,000 years ago. As part of the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture programme, Ice Age Art Now will feature over 75 objects from the British Museum collection, and will also connect with displays in Cliffe Castle Museum’s permanent galleries. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see some of the oldest art found in the UK, alongside more recent works from celebrated artists. Entry is free.
EVENTS
Glencoe Archaeology Festival
Glencoe Visitor Centre, Ballachulish, PH49 4HX
5 July 2025
https://glencoeandrannochenvirons.wordpress.com/2024/12/08/glencoe-2025/
The Glencoe Archaeology Festival will be held at the NTS Turf House, with activities running all day for all ages. Derek Alexander of the NTS will lead guided tours of the excavations of the pre-clearance township of Achnacon, where another season of fieldwork is being carried out this summer. The event will also feature storytelling sessions, artefact-handling, family craft activities, experimental-archaeology demonstrations, and much more, by staff and students from Archaeology at the University of Glasgow. Attendance is free, booking not required.
Malton Museum Roman Festival
Malton and Norton
20 July 2025
http://www.maltonmuseum.co.uk/roman-festival-2025
Malton Museum presents their fourth Roman Festival: a day packed with fun for the whole family, celebrating life in the Roman fort and vicus of Delgovicia. Among the events on offer are live-action demonstrations and re-enactments, as well as a number of activities for children, a ‘mini Malton Museum’, displays from Roman interest groups, appearances from Roman themed authors, and much more. Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for 14- to 18-year-olds; under-14s go free. An early-bird discount of 10% off all tickets is available until 30 June.
LECTURES
Aspects of Anglo-Saxon Essex
Essex Records Office, Chelmsford
21 June 2025
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/erop-special-aspects-of-anglo-saxon-essex-tickets-1305094265079
This EROP Special presents two talks exploring different aspects of Anglo Saxon Essex. The first, by Dr Richard Dolby, will review progress and achievements in the search for the site of the Battle of Assandun of 1016. The second, by Professor Stephen Rippon, will examine just how ‘Anglo Saxon’ the East Saxon Kingdom was, and the extent to which there was migration of ‘Anglo-Saxon’ people into eastern England during the 5th to 6th centuries. Tickets cost £11 and can be booked via the website above.
CONFERENCE
Making of the Lincolnshire Landscape
Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln
21 June 2025
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-making-of-the-lincolnshire-landscape-tickets-1300388951359
This interdisciplinary conference, organised by the Society for Lincolnshire History & Archaeology, will explore the diversity of Lincolnshire’s landscape and examine the changing ways in which it has carried the imprint of its human inhabitants over time. Partly inspired by W G Hoskins’ groundbreaking The Making of the English Landscape, published in 1955, the conference will showcase subject areas including archaeology, local history, industrial archaeology, and the recording of vernacular buildings. Tickets cost £32, including lunch.
HERITAGE FROM HOME
VIRTUAL VISITS
• Brooklyn Museum, USA
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/en-GB/research
Discover a wealth of digital resources from Brooklyn Museum: browse the collections online, explore its libraries and archives, go behind the scenes with insights from conservators, and more.
• The National Museum of Mongolia
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-national-museum-of-mongolia
Explore Mongolia’s history and heritage through hundreds of objects from the collections, online exhibits about elements of the country’s past, or a virtual tour of the National Museum.
• Areni Cave, Armenia
https://tapestry.cyark.org/content/areni-cave
Take a virtual tour around the Areni-1 cave complex in Armenia and learn about its rich history, which spans millennia of human innovation and includes some of the oldest wine-making in the world.
• Versailles, France
https://en.chateauversailles.fr/news/life-estate/versaillesvr-palace-yours#a-unique-visit
‘VersaillesVR: the Palace is Yours’ is a virtual reality app that offers users a chance to freely explore the State Apartments of the Palace of Versailles using their own VR equipment for a fully immersive experience.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
• Explore Rome’s World Heritage
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/3AWBst77BoGeJQ
Explore 13 iconic heritage sites in the city, from the famous Roman Colosseum to the Altare della Patria, built by the first king of Italy, with this resource from Google Arts & Culture.
• To Build a Broch
Learn about the distinctive circular dry-stone towers that played an important role in Scotland’s prehistoric past with this informative downloadable resource from Forestry and Land Scotland.
• Weird Medieval Guys
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weird-medieval-guys/id1694002215
Delve into the Middle Ages with this podcast exploring stories, people, and art from the medieval period, featuring episodes on pirates, pets, conspiracy theories, and coats of arms.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
http://www.instagram.com/metmuseum
Discover 5,000 years of history from around the globe with the Met’s Instagram account, which offers short videos and posts highlighting objects in their collections and offering glimpses behind the scenes.
FAMILY FUN
• History Explorer: Secrets through Time
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z7nrydm/articles/zj7mywx
Practise your history skills with this interactive game from BBC Bitesize, which allows players to explore different time periods and find out what was happening in various locations around the world.
• English Heritage Quizzes
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/members-area/kids/quizzes-and-games
Test your knowledge of the past with these quizzes from English Heritage and find out whether you could make it in the Roman army, plan the Norman invasion, or survive a Viking raid.
• Secrets of the Royal Traditions
http://www.channel5.com/show/royal-traditions
Discover how tradition has shaped the image of the British monarchy in this new series, which explores ceremonies and spectacles ranging from ancient rituals at Elizabeth II’s funeral to quirky royal customs.
• Rebuilding Notre-Dame: The Last Chapter
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002b2gm
Lucy Worsley revisits the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, five years after the fire, as the historic church enters the final stages of its restoration.
• Warplane Workshop
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/warplane-workshop
Delve into the world of military relics with the third series of this show, which traverses the globe to find rare aircraft and meet the people who are working to save them from the scrapheap.
