A High Street highlight Kathryn Morrison’s Chain Stores in the Golden Age of the British High Street, (‘Cathedrals of commerce’, Chris Catling, CA 426) excellently complements books on other types of buildings such as bandstands, the co operative movement, and…
An excavation led by archaeologists from the National Trust and York Archaeology, with the help of local volunteers, has helped unearth the remains of a house originally built for Hannah Newton (née Ayscough), the mother of Sir Isaac Newton. The…
The Welwyn Roman Baths, preserved under the A1(M) in Hertfordshire, opened to the public 50 years ago this year (CA 27). In the lead-up to this milestone, Dr Kris Lockyear led a team from the Welwyn Archaeological Society (WAS) and…
In CA 310, we reported on surveys undertaken by the Community Archaeology Geophysics Group (CAGG) of the Roman city of Verulamium (St Albans, Hertfordshire). At that time, the group, led by Dr Kris Lockyear, had mainly worked in the site’s…
This month sees a return of the Council for British Archaeology’s annual Festival of Archaeology, with a wealth of in-person and online events taking place across the UK between 19 July and 3 August. The theme for 2025 is ‘Archaeology and Wellbeing’. Here is a selection of regional highlights; for more details, and to explore the full programme, see www.archaeologyuk.org/festival.html.
Napoleonic war camp saved for the nation The first purpose-built prisoner-of-war camp in the world – dating from the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars – has been saved for future generations through its recent purchase by Nene Park Trust, with…
Following on from our special sections in CA 422 and 423, this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects in Derbyshire, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, and Stirling.
Two decades of excavations in East Sussex farmland have uncovered the remains of an unusual enclosed settlement linking the Roman road network with the River Ouse. Rob Wallace and David Millum explain more.
You would be forgiven for thinking that the beautiful architecture represented here had been carved from stone centuries ago. Instead, this is a mural, recently unveiled at St Drostan’s church in Markinch, Fife, that has been created as a faithful…
With the summer digging season rapidly approaching, we will be running a series of spreads highlighting digging opportunities across Britain and Ireland. This month features projects ranging across the South-East, the Midlands, and Wales – do get in touch if you would like to highlight your excavation to our readers in a future issue.
Historic England continues to explore working-class heritage Historic England has announced the funding of 30 new projects through its Everyday Heritage grants programme, which will explore rural and coastal communities and celebrate working-class histories from across the country. The projects…
REVIEW BY MARK BRENNAND The North Pennines is a bleak old place. I absolutely mean no offence, but its barren, windswept moors, studded with disused mines, are not an easy place to make a living. And yet there is rich…
The Caistor Roman Project has returned for another summer excavation outside the walls of Venta Icenorum – once the most important town in Roman East Anglia. Carly Hilts visited the site and spoke to Will Bowden and the Caistor team to hear the latest thinking about the settlement and its inhabitants.
Renewed support for Salisbury mental-health heritage project Well-City Salisbury, a project aiming to help people with mental-health needs using arts and heritage courses, has received £368,135 from The National Lottery Community Fund. Bringing together four Salisbury-based partner organisations (ArtCare, Wessex…
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
The Culver Archaeological Project has been running for almost 20 years. Carly Hilts reviews a new exhibition exploring its discoveries at two major Roman sites in Sussex’s Upper Ouse Valley.
A specialist grant that helps volunteer and community groups to date their finds has reached a significant milestone after funding 100 radiocarbon dates in the last nine years. Emma Aitken discusses key results from projects supported by the CARD Fund in 2023, as well as providing details of its 2024 funding cycle and an event celebrating the 100th date.
A recent experimental archaeology project has seen three Bronze Age-style logboats constructed and launched at Stanwick Lakes in Northamptonshire. Carly Hilts visited the project’s grand finale to learn more about the excavated evidence that had fed into the design of the dug-outs, and the rich heritage of the site itself.
A new museum, created and funded by the local community, has opened in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Leon Corneille-Cowell explains how the space came to be, and highlights some of its latest work and upcoming projects.
On the banks of the Tweed in the Scottish Borders is the reputed site of Merlin’s Grave, the embedded remnant of a legend long associated with the nearby village of Drumelzier. Dr Ronan Toolis explains how a community archaeology project revealed why this tale became rooted to this part of Tweeddale.
Your thoughts on issues raised by CA.
A long-running community excavation in rural west Cornwall has been exploring an enigmatic network of Iron Age tunnels, as well as Bronze Age and Romano-British features, for more than 15 years. Carly Hilts spoke to James Gossip on site this summer.
A new display drawing on the Museum of Cornish Life’s extensive archaeological collections was recently unveiled. Laura Miucci introduces its key themes and highlights her favourite finds.
Excavations running at Trelai Park, Cardiff, this summer have uncovered traces of a mysterious structure beneath well-preserved roundhouse remains in the heart of the Welsh capital. This is the third phase of archaeological work on the site, which is being…
There is a fantastic selection of archaeological events on offer over the coming months, from history festivals and new exhibitions to opportunities to visit or get involved in community excavations. If you would prefer to enjoy your archaeological activities from the comfort of home instead, there is plenty to choose from, including digitised museum collections, virtual site tours, and new TV shows. Amy Brunskill has put together a summary of some of the options available.
One of the newest episodes released by Time Team focuses on a test-pitting investigation in the back gardens of Modbury. Carly Hilts explores the Civil War story that was uncovered over the course of three days, as well as echoes of international connections.
REVIEW BY PAUL KITCHING This monograph presents the results of archaeological investigations undertaken as part of the Heritage-at-Risk strand of the Hadrian’s Wall Community Archaeology Project (WallCAP), with fieldwork focused on understanding and mitigating the threats to the monument, both…
There are many great archaeological events coming up this summer, from festivals and conferences to new exhibitions and recently reopened museums. If you would prefer to enjoy history and heritage at home, though, there are lots of fantastic resources to choose from, including virtual tours of heritage sites, online archaeological collections, radio and TV shows, and activities. Amy Brunskill has put together a summary of some of the options available.
The latest on acquisitions, exhibitions, and key decisions.
A collection of shallow pits carved into a rock ledge, believed to be mancala game boards, have been identified in central Kenya. Mancala is a group of two-player strategy games that involve moving tokens across rows of shallow holes in…
Carly Hilts reviews York’s annual celebration of its Norse heritage, which took place last month, and highlights three new archaeological displays and exhibitions in the city that you can still go and see.
In last month’s ‘Sherds’ column, Chris Catling described the threat to the future of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), so we asked him to tell us more about the work of the Commission, as well as the heritage sector in Wales more generally. Here is his report.
In the year AD 580, St Aidan crossed the Irish Sea from St Davids in Pembrokeshire (where he had been studying as St David’s favourite pupil) to Rosslare in County Wexford. Eighteen years later, he established a new monastery at Ferns, in the same county. This grew to become one of south-east Ireland’s most important settlements, a seat of royal power and the site of an Augustinian abbey. Little was known about the early history, however, until the Irish Archaeology Field School launched a major research project in June 2021. With commendable speed, the first fruits of that research have just been published, as Chris Catling reports.
Joe Flatman explores over half a century of reports from the past.
Christopher Catling, Contributing Editor for CA, delves into the eccentricities of the heritage world.
A round-up of some of the latest archaeology news from around the UK.