Free public event to explore new findings at popular attraction on Sunday 3 July.
Members of the public are invited to learn about the latest archaeological discoveries being made by our University’s Archaeology fieldschool at Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, during a free family Open Day on Sunday 3 July between 11.00am – 4.00pm.
Academics, professional archaeologists and students from the University’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History are working together to uncover the hidden history of this popular attraction over a five-year programme of research (2015-2019).
The Bradgate Park fieldschool project encompasses a series of excavations, topographic and geophysical surveys, environmental reconstructions and standing building surveys, providing a fantastic opportunity for training in archaeological practice for students.
Project co-director, Dr Richard Thomas from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History explained: “Previous excavation of flint artefacts has shown us that Ice Age hunters were operating within the Park almost 15,000 years ago. We also have the ruins of the birthplace and childhood home of Lady Jane Grey which was completed in 1520. But there are huge gaps in our knowledge of the Park in between and we are hoping that this season’s excavations will begin to fill in some of these.”
While the focus of the second season is on uncovering more evidence dating back to the medieval period of the medieval moated site, which contains a stone building that may have been a hunting lodge, the archaeologists hope to find more signs of the Ice Age hunter-gatherers migrating across Europe to benefit from warmer climes – building on the recent excavation of thousands of late Upper Palaeolithic flint artefacts by the University of Leicester Archaeology Services (ULAS).
Among the activities members of the public who attend the Open Day will be given the opportunity to take part in are the chance to meet a medieval knight and learn about medieval cooking and an opportunity to speak to archaeologists about the excavations.
The free family Open Day takes place on Sunday 3 July between 11:00am and 4:00pm for members of the public to learn more about the latest archaeological discoveries in the park and there will also be two end of season excavation tours on Saturday 16 July, 10.00AM – noon and 2.00pm – 4.00pm as part of the Festival of Archaeology.
