The following information has been sent by Valory Hurst of Bassingbourn (tel: 01763-244060 or valoryh@btinternet.com):
Exciting Iron Age and Saxon discoveries were made by Cambridge archaeologists before building started on the new sports hall at Bassingbourn Village College.
On Saturday 7 July find out what they found and how the discovery fits into the development of the local villages. With lots of displays, both of our dig and of the many Iron Age and Saxon sites in our region, you will be able to find out more on the origins of the local villages.
Other experts including Carenza Lewis of Time Team fame and Sue Oosthuizen of Cambridge University will talk about the changes in local villages since the Iron Age. Sue's talk will give us details of the 2005 Big Dig (Time Team style) based at Bassingbourn and Carenza will speak about her ongoing project investigating the development of villages throughout East Anglia.
There will be displays from professional and amateur groups showing examples of local Iron Age and Saxon sites and finds. These include CAM ARC, Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambs Historic Environment Record, Herts Historic Environment Record, North Hertfordshire Archaeological Society with latest details of the famous new goddess found at Ashwell, Senuna, Royston Museum, Norris Museum, SW Cambs Landscape Group, Wandlebury Iron Age Hillfort and the Fenland Finders. Rheesearch will be doing a Geophysical Survey near the dig site.
And you can bring along your own finds from your backyard at the beginning of the event for experts to identify.
Everyone is welcome. Please come along and find out more about the history of our local villages.
The college has had an archaeological dig before the start of building for the new sports hall.
We've been very lucky to find an Iron Age site there and those of you visiting on 7 March will have seen the trenches.
We intend to hold a summer event with the archaeologists talking about what they found; a national expert on the Iron Age explaining how our site fits in with the wider Iron Age world and lots of displays both of our dig and of the many Iron Age sites in our region.
For those of you who remember the Big Dig (Time Team style) in 2005, we'll have details of what was found in the pits all over our villages on that Saturday.
Everyone is welcome. Please come along and find out more about this not very well known period in our history.
Put the date in your diary now.
Recent explorations at Bassingbourn Village College have revealed that the village has much earlier origins than was previously thought. Bassingbourn was named in Saxon times and means the village of Bassa's people by the stream. However this new investigation, part of the development process for the new sports hall, has revealed that the area was settled in the Iron Age, with pottery finds dating from around 800BC and there were flint finds showing activity even earlier than this.
At an open day held on Wednesday 7th March, the archaeologists working on the site gave guided tours and told visitors about what had been found. In the morning interested BVC students were shown round and in the afternoon it was the turn of members of the community. Everyone listened enthralled and many went away hooked by the "archaeology bug"
There will be a follow up information day organised by the SW Cambs Project on Saturday July 7th. You may remember the last event the project organised - The Big Dig in 2005, in which many local people took part. The theme for this year's event will be The Iron Age and many experts will be on hand to help make this era come to life.
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