Month of events for people who dig the past
A FESTIVAL celebrating Leicestershire and Rutland Archaeology will take place in July.
The Festival of Leicestershire and Rutland Archaeology 2016 is the largest festival of its kind in the UK, and contains a range of family activities, guided walks, talks, displays and have-a-go events.
Whether it’s a trip to the prehistoric hillforts at Breedon and Burrough Hill, a tour of the world’s first steam railway tunnels at Glenfield or a community excavation digging test pits around Charnwood Roots, there’s something for everyone.
The two week event will launch on Saturday July 16 with a Bringing Our Past To Life day held at Jewry Wall Museum, Leicester, with re-enactors, crafts, games and displays of recent discoveries from the city and county.
The event is free of charge and runs between 11am and 4pm.
Locally, an exhibition titled Reinterment - The Bosworth Story is on display at the Bosworth Battlefield Centre in Sutton Cheney through the festival and the rest of 2016, while a Claybrooke History display will be on show on July 23 and 24 at Claybrooke Church, Main Road, Claybrooke Parva, with information on the mediaeval church and the history of the Claybrookes and Ullesthorpe from earliest times including the Roman town at High Cross.
There will be a have-a-go excavation day at Fosse Meadows near Sharnford, special Roman Days are being held at Hinckley and District Museum, and Lutterworth Museum has organised archaeology events.
There are also guided walks being organised at Bosworth Battlefield, Markfield village, Old Hays in Ratby, Groby Old Hall, Leire village, Earl Shilton, Glenfield Steam Tunnels and Bradgate Park, plus tours of churches in Market Bos- worth, Ratby and Lutterworth.
Talks include a presentation on the Romans at Hinckley URC and a talk titled Henry’s Journey to Bosworth at Bosworth Battlefield Centre.
Peter Liddle, festival organiser, said: “We are extremely pleased with this year’s programme. There is something for all the family, from children’s craft events at museums around the country to serious lectures.
“We are particularly proud of the guided walks programme that grows every year, giving people the chance to explore sites with a local expert who can explain it’s unique history.”
The festival will run between Saturday July 16 and Sunday July 31. Brochures are now available at museums, libraries and tourist information centres throughout Leicestershire and Rutland, and are available online at leicsfieldworkers.co.uk/festival-of-archaeology/
For more information contact Peter Liddle on 0116 221 4508 or email peter. liddle51@gmail.com
Alternatively you can contact Mathew Morris on 0116 252 5665 or email mlm9@le.ac.uk