Budding time travellers of all ages are invited to a free, fun-packed, family event to celebrate the nationwide Festival of Archaeology. On Saturday 17 July, the village green at Bishops Lydeard will be transformed into a prehistoric village featuring interactive demonstrations of ancient crafts, family activities and object handling.
Under the expert guidance of archaeologists and craftspeople from Newhaven Coppice, visitors will be able to try their hand at making prehistoric pottery, woodworking and weaving; there will be demonstrations of ancient bronze casting methods; and you can even prepare and taste foods that our prehistoric ancestors would have eaten.
Throughout the day there will be the chance to learn about and handle genuine archaeological artefacts with Dr Maria Kneafsey and colleagues from the Portable Antiquities Scheme; and young archaeology buffs can learn some of the skills of excavation in a sandpit dig. There will also be a drop-in finds surgery, allowing visitors to bring along any unusual artefacts they may have found whilst out for a walk or digging their gardens, and have them identified and recorded.
Best of all, the event is entirely free. It is being organised by the Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme, a five year project hosted by the Quantock Hills AONB and funded largely by The National Lottery Heritage Fund which aims to inspire local communities to undertake a wide range of projects providing resilience and protection of the Quantock landscape.
Dan Broadbent, the scheme’s Historic Heritage Officer, said, “As we approach the end of Covid restrictions, we hope this will be a great way for people to come together in a safe, outdoor space, have some fun and learn something about the long and fascinating history and archaeology of the Quantock Hills.”
The event also marks the launch of archaeological excavations on nearby Cothelstone Hill. Dan explained, “We have a number of archaeological and heritage projects as part of the Landscape Partnership Scheme, all aimed at encouraging and helping people to better understand and engage with the Quantock landscape. The dig at Cothelstone Hill is our first excavation, which will be investigating the purpose and origins of a prehistoric earthwork which crosses the ridge of the hill.”
The Prehistoric Fun Day will be open from 10am – 4pm on Saturday 17th July, at Bishops Lydeard Village Green. Entry and all activities are free of charge.
About the Quantock LPS
The Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme (QLPS) is a £2.6m, 5 year project in and around the Quantock Hills, hosted and led by the Quantock Hills AONB. The project area is some 400 square kilometres, essentially the Quantock Hills proper plus the surrounding ring of Parishes. This is roughly twice the size of the AONB.
Landscape Partnership Schemes are all about looking after a particular landscape, in this case the Quantock Hills, and they are about partnership working, bringing a diverse range of interests together to make a real difference to people and place.
The Scheme will protect and restore the distinctive features of the Quantock landscape, improve management of the access pressures on the Hills, and make the health and wellbeing benefits of recreation more available to communities in the surrounding towns and villages. It will also increase understanding of the development of the Manorial landscape, how it underpins the character of the Quantocks, and of the wider natural, built and cultural heritage of the area.
The QLPS is 69% funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with additional funding from Hinkley Point C s106, the National Trust, Friends of Quantock, and the AONB itself. Volunteer time as help in kind is also a big part of the funding package.
For more information about the QLPS, contact;
Bill Jenman
Landscape Partnership Scheme Manager
07811308846
