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Outreach

Work Experience at the Cambridge Office 2024

By News, Outreach

The end of the school term means one thing at the Cambridge Office – work experience placements! We have been proud to host students from Sawston Village College for the past 11 years and have increased our provision to students from other schools and colleges in the region too since 2021. This year we have hosted 12 students over the past 2 months!

Harry excavating a cremation urn with Osteologist Petra

For insurance reasons we can’t have under 18 year olds working on construction sites so the majority of the placement is based in the office – working on finds and environmental processing and archiving. We do our best to make our placements as interactive as possible, introducing students to different career paths within archaeology through taster sessions with various staff members in different roles, such as specialist finds analysis, photography, and GIS.

Sawston Village College students on a site tour with Rita’s Saxon teacup pot

We also try to get students out to visit an excavation and were very lucky this year to have an amazing Saxon project based just ten minutes from our office, where they were present to see rare and unusual artefacts actually coming out of the ground, such as the small Saxon cup pictured here!

One of thousands of bags of bone marked this year!

As well as providing a comprehensive view of archaeology for our students, we also of course expect them to work hard and this year have had particular legacy project that needed to be prepared for archive. With their help we should be able to deposit the 640 boxes of animal bone that they meticulously marked by Christmas!

So, many thanks of course to our work experience students for all of their time and effort: Harry from Linton Village College; Audrey, Charlie, Lewis, Luca and Matthew from Sawston Village College; Isabel from Trumpington Community College; Ben from Tring School; Daniel from Hinchingbrook School; Sam from Kings College London; Seb from Parkside Community College; and Ró from Swavesey Village College!

Polebrook school visit

By News, Outreach

Sian O’Neill’s recent talk to a group of Reception and Year 1 kids was a big hit!

Sian came to visit us at Polebrook school as the ‘Fabulous Finish’ to our History learning. She was brilliant!

Sian was exciting, engaging and passionate about archaeology. The children loved finding out about Polebrook in the past and the powerpoint was full of great images that really helped them to understand the different stages in history. The children were delighted to touch and hold real life artifacts and order them- This was just magical to watch!

The whole session was perfectly aimed at KS1 children, and we just can’t thank Sian enough for the opportunity to learn from a real-life archaeologist. Thank you so much for taking the time to come and visit! 

 Jessica McIntosh, teacher

Offensive Industries: Preliminary results from Jubilee House, Stratford

By News, Outreach

Harry Platts will be speaking to West Essex Archaeological Group (WEAG) on the preliminary results and findings from our late medieval industrial site at Jubilee House, Stratford. Harry’s talk will be tonight, at 8pm, at Woodford County High School for Girls. There is parking in the school site, or it is about 15 mins walk from Woodford tube station.

Our excavations at this site unveiled a series of timber revetments along the riverbanks, with two docks cut through them for boat landings.

The accumulation of debris behind these revetments provided evidence of a long history of demolished buildings. Additionally, we identified contemporary and later industrial activities, including tanning pits and lime mixing pits. Some of these pits contained organic remains, such as fragments of decorated leather, offering a vivid connection to the past.

Harry will discuss our intriguing findings that included a significant number of animal bones, suggesting on-site butchering and the use of skins and horns in the manufacturing of various goods.

If you’re in striking distance, we’d love to see you there!

CWR Volunteering in 2024

By Central Winchester Regeneration, News, Outreach

We’re extending the opportunity for volunteers to participate in the processing of finds from our ongoing excavations at the Central Winchester Regeneration site into the New Year.

From 10th January until 22nd February, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, volunteers will be welcome at PCA’s Winchester office to wash the artefacts; we still have plenty coming out of the ground!

Once booking has been made, you will receive an email to the address used in the booking, which will include detailed instructions on location, timings, etc.  

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

We’ve had a lot of lovely feedback from those who’ve attended so far, most recently from Tina who sent this photo and said:

Just wanted to say thank you for an enjoyable and educational couple of days finds processing.

I cleaned a lovely piece of Samian ware which seems remarkably similar to a piece in the Winchester City museum which I went round before going home.

Southwark Heritage Trail

By News, Outreach

Join us for an immersive heritage walk through the archaeological sites and historical landmarks of Southwark on Saturday 2nd December at 11am.

Explore the rich history of the area around our site at Avonmouth House, where Roman roads, mausoleums, temples and Tudor remains intertwine with post-medieval cattle burials, medieval inns and prisons!

The walk will begin at Avonmouth House, Avonmouth Road SE1 6NX at 11am and is expected to last 2-3 hours.

Milton Keynes Archaeology Day

By News, Outreach

Mark and Conor provided an update on the amazing archaeology revealed by PCA’s recent work at Milton Keynes to a full house of over 100 delegates at the Central Library on Saturday.

Mark and Conor received glowing praise from the organiser who said the event was:

‘a very successful day all round. An audience of 110 for the talks (the biggest crowd since we started the event in 2007) which were all well-presented and well received with plenty of questions. Many thanks Mark and Conor for attending (and helping with chairs!) and also Judy for providing an excellent script’

Clockwise from top left: Mark and Connor’s presentation; an early Bronze Age barrow monument; a late Iron Age cremation cemetery; excavation of an early Roman log ladder found in a watering hole at a Roman farmstead; aerial photo of a middle to late Iron Age settlement consisting of 80 roundhouses with evidence of continuous human occupation from c. 350BC until at least 1st or 2nd century.

Jubilee House Open Day

By News, Outreach

The Open Day at Jubilee House, Stratford, was a huge success. Visitors crowded in to explore the exciting, intense riverside and industrial activity revealed by our excavations here. With a series of revetments and docks, along with evidence for a long history of demolished buildings, contemporary and later industrial activity and a plethora of finds, there was plenty to discover!

Open Day at Jubilee House, Stratford

By News, Outreach

Join us for an Archaeological Open Day this Saturday, from 10am-3pm, at Jubilee House, Stratford, to discover both intense riverside and industrial activity dating from the medieval to post-medieval periods. Our excavations here have revealed a series of timber revetments lining the riverbanks and two docks cut through them for landing boats. The rubbish used to build up the riverbanks behind the revetments includes the evidence for a long history of demolished buildings. Contemporary and later industrial activity was seen in the form of tanning pits and lime mixing pits, some of which contained organic remains, such as fragments of decorated leather, evoking a vivid connection to the past. The large numbers of animal bones point to animals being butchered on site and skins and horns used for manufacturing a wide range of goods. Mark your calendars and get ready to step back in time with us; it’s a journey through history you won’t want to miss! See you there!

Feel the Magnetic pull of Archaeology at our Open Day!

By Central Winchester Regeneration, News, Outreach

Experience the thrill of discovery firsthand tomorrow at our Central Winchester Regeneration site Open Day – turn up anytime between 10am-4.30pm to see some of the artefacts revealed so far and tour the trenches. There will also be hands-on interactive activities for children in Abbey Gardens.

🗓️ Save the Date: Saturday 2 September

📍 Location: PCA gazebo in Abbey Gardens, Winchester

Hadrian’s Wall – Turret 3a

By News, Outreach, Talks

Scott Vance spoke about our thrilling discovery of Turret 3a to a full house at the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, as one of their monthly members’ lectures.

Turret 3a is the first turret to be found in almost 40 years; excitingly this also means there may be more of the wall yet to be discovered in urban Tyneside.