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East Sussex
Bridge Farm Roman settlement
Bridge Farm, Barcombe Mills, near Lewes
26 May-4 July
Bridge Farm is a Romano-British settlement discovered in 2011. Since 2013, excavation has revealed a road network, a possible aisled building, industrial hearths, and a wealth of finds-rich post-holes, pits, and ditches; 2025 will see the opening of a new Trench 8 at the eastern entrance to the enclosure. The team aim to include everyone (10-15-year-olds welcome if accompanied by an adult; 16-17-year-olds need a parental consent form), and also run a comprehensive four-week undergraduate-level training course. Watch out for a feature about the project in next month’s CA.
http://www.culverproject.co.uk (or email join@culverproject.co.uk)
Cost: £60 for 5 days, £90 for 10 days, £120 for 15 days, £150 for 20 days, £180 for the whole season. Camping is offered at £75 per week, to include dig fees.
London
Elsyng Royal Palace
Enfield, north London
6-20 July (public open day 12 July)
The Enfield Archaeological Society’s 21st year of work on this scheduled site will focus on revealing more of the inner gatehouse of the palace, following the previous excavation of its turret-flanked pedestrian entrance. Participation is open to anyone over 16, with no experience requirements.
http://www.enfarchsoc.org (or email martin.dearne@talktalk.net)
Cost: £12 society membership (required by 20 June).
Powys
Demystifying an ancient farmstead
Cwmffwrn farm, near Abbeycwmhir
Excavation Experience Days 12 & 13 July; Excavation Trainee Week 14-19 July; self-drive tour (incl excavation visit) 19-20 July
This summer, the Abbey Cwmhir Heritage Trust will be continuing the excavation of an important settlement site within the home grange of a Cistercian abbey – celebrated as the burial place of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last Welsh- born Prince of Wales – in the beautiful hills of north Radnorshire. Excavations will focus on a house platform within this landscape, working in small teams led by professional archaeologists. Digs in 2023 and 2024 revealed evidence of 16th- or early 17th-century activity – can this year’s work push that date back further, revealing medieval archaeology that would link the settlement with the monastic grange?
Participants can book an Excavation Experience Day, spending a full day on site (10am-4pm) and helping to uncover more of the archaeology, with an optional, free guided-tour of Abbey Cwmhir itself at the end of the day. There are also four slots available for the longer Excavation Trainee Week, where you will be mentored by project archaeologists (food and accommodation not included). On 19 and 20 July, you can book a self-drive tour of the Abbey remains and village, followed by a visit to the excavation. For any of these events, under-18s and vulnerable adults should be accompanied.
http://www.abbeycwmhir.org/discussion/cwmffwrn-excavation-2025
Cost: Excavation Experience Day £75 (tea/coffee provided, please bring lunch). Excavation Trainee Week: £450 for 6 days of excavation with tea/coffee; you will need to provide your own food and accommodation; BAJR archaeological skills passport can be purchased for £8.50 when you book. Self-drive tour: £1 minimum donation to help cover costs; tea/coffee provided, but please bring a packed lunch.
Northamptonshire
Udig: Stanwick Hall
Stanwick Hall, Northamptonshire
3 May-19 September
Udig is offering beginners, enthusiasts, students, and professionals, aged 8 upwards, the opportunity to experience a fully immersive research training excavation, exposing a multi-phase Saxon/Saxo-Norman to late post medieval site within the grounds of Stanwick
Hall, Northamptonshire. Learn all the basics of on-site excavation, by means of a ‘hands-on’ approach to learning the rudiments of excavation and post-excavation, enhanced with tutorials, toolbox talks, and lectures. You can stay on a free camping pitch on-site, rent the converted cottage, or stay at one of more than 30 en suite rooms at Stanwick Hotel, just a two minute walk from the site.
http://www.udig.site (or email hello@udig.site)
Cost: 2-Day Team Passes starting at £105; Week Team Passes starting at £795; Season Team Pass starting at £1,800. All come with an option of three meals per day. Under-18s must have written consent from a parent/guardian and under-17s must be accompanied by a fee-paying adult.
Ceredigion
Strata Florida Archaeology Field School
Strata Florida Abbey, Pontrhydfendigaid
16 June-14 July
Strata Florida is a 12th-century Cistercian abbey with a later 17th- century Welsh gentry farmhouse. Excavations have been running at the site for over 20 years, and radiocarbon dates from 2024’s excavations revealed activity from 5500 BC through to the medieval period. The project offers a fully accessible training programme, including a wide variety of archaeological excavation and survey techniques. Residential, non-residential, and day courses are available, though residential places are limited to over-18s; younger participants (aged over 14) can take part non-residentially with an accompanying adult. All are welcome, whether you have no prior archaeological experience or if you want to build on previous skills.
http://www.strataflorida.org.uk/archaeology-field-school.html
Cost: full residential £750 per week, non-residential £595 per week, bursary £395 per week, Digger Day £100 per day.
Leicestershire
Welby Archaeological Training Field School
Welby, Melton Mowbray
Week 1: 30 June-4 July; Week 2: 7-11 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. Lunch is included.
http://www.mercian-as.co.uk/fieldschool.html
Cost: £450 per person or £350 per person for students (in full-time education, 18 and under, Student NUS card holder or international equivalent, distance learning etc).
Staffordshire
Excavating Hilderstone’s hall
Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 30 March-26 October
Stoke-on-Trent Museum Archaeological Society have a large excavation in progress on a post-medieval hall at Hilderstone in Staffordshire. Diggers of all abilities are welcome, and tuition and equipment can be provided. Organisers describe the project as a friendly dig on a beautiful site, with plenty of finds and features.
http://www.stokearchaeologysociety.org.uk (or email contact.sotmas@yahoo.com)
Cost: free, but diggers will be asked to sign a free membership form.
Running a project? Get in touch!
We are planning to have more ‘Digs’ spreads in the next few issues, going into the summer, 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, though we are particularly lacking those from Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland at the moment!) and would like to flag your project to our readers, please get in touch by emailing cp@currentpublishing.com.
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