Subscribe now for full access and no adverts
Norfolk
King’s Lynn under Siege, King’s Lynn, 14-19 July
In the summer of 1643, Royalists seized control of the port of King’s Lynn in a coup. After a short siege, Parliament retook the town, and then refortified it to a design seldom found anywhere in Britain. Since 2018, King’s Lynn under Siege (KLuS) has been researching the town during the conflict, and recent investigations have explored its defences in North Lynn. This summer, KLuS aims to uncover further traces of the earthworks, and to investigate the site of an 18th-century brick-kiln.
http://www.sharp.org.uk/product-page/king-s-lynn-under-seige-project-volunteer
Cost: 6 days of excavation (with lunch, and use of facilities), £160 (includes Tuesday evening lecture at Sedgeford); additional £50 charge for onsite Sedgeford camping space and use of shower facilities for a week; £50 more for all onsite meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and all evening entertainment.
Northumberland
Bamburgh Research Project, Bamburgh Castle , 30 June-26 July
Join the Bamburgh Research Project to investigate the castle’s outworks beyond its original entrance and find the missing medieval well. All experience levels are welcome. Come and learn from professional archaeologists at one of the most stunning settings in Britain, dating back 3,000 years.
http://www.bamburghresearchproject.co.uk
Cost: £320 per six-day week; various accommodation options are available.
London
Elysing Royal Palace, Enfield, North London,7-21 July
Enfield Archaeological Society’s exploration of the buildings of Henry VIII’s palace between its inner and outer courts, known to include a cellared structure and an ornamental gate probably fronting a large gatehouse, will continue in the park surrounding the early 17th-century Forty Hall. Participation is open to all over 16, with no experience requirements.
http://www.enfarchsoc.org (or email martin.dearne@talktalk.net)
Cost: £12 society membership (required by 21 June).
East Sussex
Bridge Farm Roman Settlement, Bridge Farm, Barcombe Mills, near Lewes, 27 May-5 July, Monday to Friday
Bridge Farm is a Romano-British settlement discovered in open farmland in 2011. Since 2013, excavation has revealed a road network, a possible aisled building, a stone-lined well, a series of industrial hearths, and a wealth of finds-rich post-holes, pits, and ditches – and 2024 sees a return to Trench 7, in the very centre of the enclosed settlement. The project endeavours to include everyone in all aspects of site investigation and recording (10- to 15-year-olds are welcome if accompanied by an adult; 16- to 17-year olds need a parental consent form), and also runs a comprehensive four-week undergraduate-level training course.
http://www.culverproject.co.uk (or email information@culverproject.co.uk)
Cost: £40 for up to 5 days, £60 for up to 10 days, and £120 for the whole season; for Finds Processing only, 50% of the dig fee.
South Yorkshire
Sheffield Castle Excavation Experience, Sheffield, 8 April-5 June
Join Wessex Archaeology and help to excavate the remains of Sheffield Castle. You will experience a live archaeological dig, and discover Sheffield’s heritage first-hand. Participants will be digging outside for much of the day, so please dress appropriately for the weather. All volunteers must wear steel-toecap boots. If you do not have your own, Wessex have limited sizes that can be borrowed.
To keep up to date with the dig, you can visit http://www.wessexarch.co.uk or follow the action on social media @wessexarch. Please email sheffieldcastle@wessexarch.co.uk with any questions.
http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/events
Cost: free, but advance booking is required.
Leicestershire
Welby Field School, Welby, Melton Mowbray, 1-5, 8-12 July
This training course focuses on the skills of archaeological excavation, with a mixture of classroom sessions and hands-on training suitable for all levels of experience. It will explore the Deserted Village of Welby, 3km north-west of Melton Mowbray, which sits within a historically rich landscape preserving evidence of prehistoric and Romano-British activity that could extend within the area of the site.
Field schools are also running in Sherwood Forest and the Yorkshire Dales; see the link below for more information, and watch out for more details in the ‘Digs’ listings in CA 411.
https://mercian-as.co.uk/fieldschool.html
Cost: £450 per person, or £350 per student.
Gloucestershire
Archeoscan , Final details tbc; join mailing list below for further details
As well as in the Cotswolds (see below), Archeoscan are excavating a large Roman site in Gloucestershire, where they are exploring the remains of an early Roman villa and associated aisled barn within a larger Iron Age and Roman landscape. The 2023 season started to uncover a possible bathhouse.
http://www.archeoscan.com; email archeoscan@hotmail.co.uk to join the mailing list and book dates for excavations
Cost: £40/person per day; single- and multiple-day bookings are welcome; the price includes equipment hire. Under-16s are welcome but must be accompanied by a fee-paying adult; same price for adults and children.
Northamptonshire
Udig Archaeology Limited, Stanwick Hall, Northamptonshire, May-September
Join Udig Archaeology Limited to explore the archaeologically rich landscape around Stanwick on the edge of Northamptonshire’s Nene Valley. Previous excavations in the area have found evidence of continual occupation from at least the late Saxon period through to the 18th and 19th centuries – this is a landscape with great time-depth, offering huge potential for further discoveries. Expert training will be given in all aspects of excavation, recording, and finds processing, and everyone aged 8 upwards is welcome to take part.
Cost: from £795/week.
Cotswolds
Archeoscan, Final details tbc; join mailing list below for further details, 23 June – 26 July
Archeoscan gives people the chance to participate in excavations at exciting sites in the Cotswolds area; all ages can participate, no experience is required, and all necessary equipment and tuition is provided. For the past two seasons they have been uncovering some of the remains of a fortified medieval manor potentially dating to the 11th to 15th centuries, which appears to be arranged around a courtyard with associated barns and stabling yet to be explored.
http://www.archeoscan.com; email archeoscan@hotmail.co.uk to join the mailing list and book dates for excavations
Cost: £40/person per day; single- and multiple-day bookings are welcome; the price includes equipment hire. Under-16s are welcome but must be accompanied by a fee-paying adult; same price for adults and children.
Running a project? Get in touch! We are planning to run more ‘Digs’ spreads in the next few issues, and we would love to cover as wide a geographical spread as possible. If you are running an excavation that members of the public can participate in (anywhere in Britain and Ireland, although we are particularly lacking those from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland at the moment!) and would like to flag your project to our readers, please contact us at cp@currentpublishing.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.