Get Involved with the Foundations of Archaeology Project

The Foundations of Archaeology Project celebrates the work of the pioneering archaeologists who first identified the rich upland archaeology of south Wiltshire and north east Dorset.

The project will train up volunteers to help further investigate and evaluate archaeological sites centred on three focus areas associated with these pioneers
We have lots of volunteer opportunities starting Autumn 2015 to late Spring 2017 – including practical conservation on ancient sites;  learning to undertake archaeological surveys; and following in the footsteps of the first archaeologists. No previous experience necessary  –  all ages welcome.


http://foundationsofarchaeology.wordpress.com/ for more information

Stockton Earthworks

New Historic England Advice Note on Site Allocations in Local Plans

The identification of potential sites for development within a Local Plan is an important step in establishing where change and growth will happen across local authority areas, as well as the type of development and when it should occur.

This document is intended to offer advice to all those involved in the process, to help ensure that the historic environment plays a positive role in allocating sites for development. It offers advice on evidence gathering and site allocation policies, as well as setting out in detail a number of steps to make sure that heritage considerations are fully integrated in any site selection methodology

 

https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/historic-environment-and-site-allocations-in-local-plans/heag074-he-and-site-allocation-local-plans.pdf/

Discover the Heritage and Landscape of the Nadder Valley

http://www.discovernadder.org.uk/

 If you live, work or are planning a visit to the Nadder Valley this website is a hugely useful resource for learning about what makes this area special and discovering all about the fascinating places to stay, things to do and activities to enjoy.

Grand Opening of Wessex Gallery at Salisbury Museum

http://www.salisburymuseum.org.uk/news/opening-wessex-gallery


Anthropologist and BBC TV Coast and Origins of Us presenter Professor Alice Roberts, will open Salisbury Museum’s new world-class Wessex Gallery of Archaeology at its Grand Opening in The Close on Saturday, 12 July from 10am to 4pm. The new £2.4 million Wessex Gallery, will house one of Europe’s most extensive collections of Stonehenge and prehistoric artefacts including the Amesbury Archer - popularly dubbed the ‘King of Stonehenge’ and the Wardour Hoard

The Day of Archaeology 2014 is here! #dayofarch

http://www.dayofarchaeology.com/


They are looking for people working, studying or volunteering in the archaeological world to participate with us in a “Day of Archaeology” in July 2014.  The resulting Day of Archaeology website will (and already does!) demonstrate the wide variety of work our profession undertakes day-to-day across the globe, and help to raise public awareness of the relevance and importance of archaeology to the modern world.

Make sure you check out the Cecil Beaton at Home exhibition at Salisbury Museum

http://www.salisburymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/cecil-beaton-home-ashcombe-and-reddish




Following sellout shows on Whistler and Constable, Salisbury Museum presents an innovative biographical view of legendary designer, photographer and artist, Sir Cecil Beaton, through his two Wiltshire homes. Simultaneously a retreat, an inspiration and a stage for impressive entertaining, they also fuelled his passion for gardening and delight in village life.

Stonehenge exhibition and visitor centre opened

December 2013. This is the first phase in English Heritage’s £27 million project to transform the visitor experience. 
Visitors will now be able to see original objects used in the construction of Stonehenge, alongside other objects connected with the Neolithic and Bronze Age eras. A special exhibition tells the story of the changing understanding of Stonehenge over centuries. A 360-degree virtual experience allows visitors to ‘stand in the stones’ via a three-minute film, based on state-of-the-art laser scan images of the stone circle. This film will also transport the viewer back in time through the millennia and enable them to experience the summer and winter solstices. Work to demolish the existing facilities and car park and return the area to grass will begin imminently. The restoration of the landscape around Stonehenge will be completed by the summer of 2014.
For visits from the 1st February 2014, entrance to Stonehenge will be managed through timed tickets and advance booking is recommended. For opening hours and online booking, visit the English Heritage website here


Source Heritage Alliance Heritage Update 269

Volunteer Opportunities

At the start of its 20th anniversary year, Heritage Open Days is delighted to offer some exciting new volunteer roles with the national team.


Heritage Open Days is the foremost annual festival for heritage and culture in England attracting over 2 million visitors last year. So this is a great opportunity to get involved, gain relevant work experience and learn more about the sector:  the anniversary event assistant (internship) will play a key role in planning and coordinating the celebrations for HODs birthday; the social media volunteer will help to develop and manage social media platforms.


The roles are partly office based, partly home based. The friendly team will provide induction and guidance throughout the placement.


To find out more about the roles on offer and how to apply, please visit http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/news/volunteer-with-us
Application closing date: noon, Monday 27th January


Source Heritage Update 269: Heritage Alliance

Wiltshire Archaeology and Conservation Fair Sunday 14th July 11am-4pm

Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Chippenham


20 local organisations are joining together to provide visitors with a unique opportunity to find out about archaeology in Wiltshire at this
FREE event hosted by Wiltshire Council’s Archaeology and Conservation teams, which is part of the British Festival of Archaeology. County Archaeologist Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger says "There will be something for everyone at this exciting event - activities for children; careers advice; volunteering opportunities; real objects to handle and a chance to hear about the latest finds, surveys and excavations in the county."

Those considering a career in archaeology can find out about work experience placements and courses, talk to people who are self-employed, work for large archaeological units and work for Wiltshire Council in a range of roles. They can find out about related careers in museum archaeology and object conservation from people doing the job today. Why not take a tour of the conservation labs and learn more about this fascinating role, literally piecing together the past one find at a time?

An exciting programme of short talks will run throughout the day offering updates on local archaeology surveys by English Heritage, news from the First World War soldiers’ project ‘Finding the Forgotten’, advice on how to date your house and the experiences of local archaeologists.

Children and families will find lots to do at the event including games, quizzes, object handling and a practice excavation. Find out about the fun activities offered by local museums and archaeology clubs for children – and plan yourselves a summer holiday full of fun activities.

Organisations participating in this event include: English Heritage, National Trust, Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site, Wessex Archaeology, Wiltshire Heritage Museum, Bath and Camerton Archaeological Society, Young Archaeologists’ Club, Portable Antiquities Scheme, Oxford University, Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, Wiltshire Buildings Record, Bournemouth University, Finding the Forgotten, CBA Wessex, WAHNS field group, Lacock Unlocked, Wyvern Heritage, Chippenham Museum, Trowbridge Museum, Archaeological Surveys Ltd, University of Southampton, Wiltshire Council’s Archaeology and Conservation teams.

For more information and directions please visit www.wshc.eu email archaeology@wiltshire.gov.uk or call 01249 705500.

Dorset History Network event 'Dorset Coast 20.04.2013

West Dorset & Bridport - first of a series of Dorset coast history events

Join the DGH for a fascinating day to explore the area and to discover more about Dorset’s links to further afield in Newfoundland

Speakers: Sam Rose, Peter Bellamy, Bryan Brown

Tickets £10.00. Booking forms on www.dorsethistorynetwork.org

Wiltshire Local history Forum - Spring Conference

Spring Conference & AGM Visual Art in Wiltshire

Saturday 13th April 2013

BROMHAM VILLAGE SOCIAL CENTRE

Registration & Coffee 09.40 - Conference 10.15 to 16.00

http://www.wlhf.co.uk/images/Conference%20Flyer%20%20Booking%20Form%20Spring%20%20AGM%202013.pdf

Roman Wiltshire Day School

Saturday 27th April 2013

Wiltshire Victoria County History - Roman Wiltshire Day School
St Lawrence School, Bradford-on-Avon

Wiltshire Heritage Museum Summer Outings

Discover the Wiltshire countryside on one of Wiltshire Heritage Museums summer outings - or visit the Staffordshire hoard.

Outings include Chapperton Down, Salisbury Plain, Alton Barnes and Alton Priors, Seend, Stanton St Bernard, Bradford on Avon and further afield to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Further information on the muuseum website.  Tickets available from the Museum shop or website.

Eric Ravilious and the White Horses of Wiltshire

Saturday 24 November by James Russell.  Last few tickets available.

English watercolourist Eric Ravilious (1903-42) travelled far and wide, but no landscape inspired him more than the chalk downs of southern England.  Intrigued by the figures and white horses carved into the hills, he painted a series of pictures intended as the basis for a children's book.

The White Horses book was never produced, but his 'dummy' of the book, lost for decades, was recently been purchased by the Wiltshire Heritage Museum.  James Russell’s illustrated talk will explore these paintings, teasing out stories and revisiting places that inspired this extraordinary artist.  Ravilious, painter, book illustrator, designer of transfer-ware pottery and Official War Artist, is now one of the most popular artists of his period. 

James Russell is the author of four books in the series Ravilious in Pictures, most recently A Travelling Artist and Paul Nash in Pictures: Landscape and Dream.

 

 Tickets Cost £6 (£3.50 for WANHS members) and are available from the Museum shop or on-line at www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk.

A lunchtime talk Wiltshire Heritage Museum - The Museums Art Collection

A lunchtime talk on Wednesday 14 November by Bill Perry.

The Museum holds an extensive art collection, but little of it can be displayed. Come along and find out about some of the 8,000 plus prints and paintings in our collection. All the works are of Wiltshire places and scenes dating from the 17th century, many of which no longer exist.
This lecture, by the former Chairman of the Society, will discuss and illustrate as many of the important and interesting pictures in the collection as there is time for.

Lunchtime talks start at 1.10pm and last approx. 45 minutes. Bring your lunch - we will provide tea/coffee.

Our Lecture Hall is accessible via a lift if required, has a hearing loop and air conditioning.

Booking is not required - just come along
Cost: £4 (£3 WANHS members)

 

Source: http://wiltshireheritagemuseum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-museums-art-collection.html

 

Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB Management Plan Review

Not sure what an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is? What is the AONB Partnership? What they have achieved so far? What would you like to see the AONB do?

From mid November to mid December, the AONB team will be visiting different village...halls around the AONB to hear your thoughts and ideas on topics and issues that affect you.

The team has to prepare a revised AONB Management Plan for 2014-19 and they need your input. The team will be visiting:

Bowerchalke – Tuesday 20th November

Sixpenny Handley – Thursday 22nd November

Tarrant Gunville – Wednesday 28th November

Chilmark – Thursday 29th November

Pen Selwood – Tuesday 4th December

Donhead St Mary – Wednesday 5th December

Damerham – Thursday 13th December

All sessions start after 7-9pm

 

www.ccwwdaonb.org.uk

A talk on PATHH – Providing Access To Hampshire’s Heritage 8th Jan 2013 Salsibury

Venue: Lecture Hall / Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum
Date: 08 Jan 2013
Time: 19:30
A talk by Stephen Fisher, Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology. PATHH is a two year, HLF funded research project that makes use of historic maps to identify ‘lost’ rights of way around Hampshire. Across the countryside, numerous public routes have fallen out of use and failed to be recorded on the county’s definitive map. This project seeks to identify such routes that, were they to be re-instated, would be of benefit to modern countryside access. In this talk, project manager Stephen Fisher explains the origins of the project and the history of mapping in England.
A lecture in the Salisbury Museum Archaeology Lectures (SMAL) series. SMAL lectures are held on the second Tuesday of each month from September to April.

http://www.salisburymuseum.org.uk/what-s-on/lectures/297-pathh-%E2%80%93-providing-access-to-hampshires-heritage.html

DORSET HISTORY NETWORK Fifth ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - Saturday 10th November 2012.

DORSET HISTORY NETWORK

Fifth ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - Saturday 10^th November 2012.

12.45 p.m. at the Priests House Museum, 23-27 High Street, Wimborne Minster BH21 1HR.

There is no charge for paid-up members only wishing to attend this A.G.M.

 

Stories from the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors - Revisited

Wiltshire Heritage Museum Sat 10th November

 

Julian will be updating some of the fascinating stories from his popular Meet the Ancestors TV Series.  He will discuss what has happened to the site and the discoveries over the last 10-12 years (yes it’s that long since the original series) as well as investigating how our perceptions of those periods have changed in this time.  So there a bigger picture to be painted rather than just the updated stories of the individual sites.

Julian says "It has been huge fun, travelling from Orkney to East Anglia, Yorkshire and the Cotswolds as well as closer to home in Dorset and Winchester.  I have enjoyed meeting up with the archaeologists and specialists that we worked with before, comparing how their work has changed and how much older we all look!"

Cost £6 (£3.50 for WANHS members).  Starts 2.30pm.

Please note:  advance bookings may be cancelled 14 days before the lecture if payment has not been received.

Ancient Tracks Exhibition at Salisbury Museum

Saturday 13 October 2012 - Saturday 26 January 2013. An exhibition of paintings and drawings that reflect one artist’s travels through the ancient sites of Wiltshire. Over the last 50 years, Philip Hughes has returned time and again to the Ridgeway, Avebury, Silbury Hill and Stonehenge. Informed by maps, photography and electronic survey techniques, his work ranges from accurate topographical observation to abstract and emotional representation of the landscape.

The exhibition coincides with the publication of the book on Hughes's work: Tracks: Walking the Ancient Landscapes of Britain (Thames & Hudson, 2012).

http://www.salisburymuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/exhibitions/289-ancient-tracks.html