The Festival of British Archaeology (formerly National Archaeology Week) is a two week period of events and activities for people to get involved with all over the County.  To celebrate the Festival there will be free entry to two historic Isle of Wight attractions on Saturday.  

Newport Roman Villa and a summer exhibition, ‘Saxon Wight’ will be opening at the Guildhall Museum of Island History.

The Festival of British Archaeology is co-ordinated by the Council for British Archaeology and there are 3 events organised for the Festival on the Isle of Wight.

With over 600 events already listed across the UK for the 2009 festival, it looks sets to break all previous records for public participation.

Free activities are planned for the Isle of Wight, from exploring what archaeology is and learning how to excavate, to learning about the local area and discovering more about excavations that have taken place.

Its truly a feast for Saxon historians the events taking place on the Isle of Wight include:

Saturday 25th July 2009 – 11am to 3pm:
Newport Roman Villa – Free entry and Finds Day

Newport Roman Villa will be open free of charge and you can come along and have your archaeological finds identified by Frank Basford, the Finds Liaison Officer. There are activities and games for all, especially children and families and you can see this fantastic jewel of our Roman past.

Between 11.00 – 15.00, archaeologist Frank Basford will be on hand to identify any items.

There will be activities for all including clay modelling, mosaic making and weaving.

The event will also celebrate the successful completion of major improvements to the cover building at Newport Roman Villa. The £80,000 project, which was joint-funded by Isle of Wight Council and English Heritage, included replacing the roof of the building and a new lighting scheme.

Saturday 25th July 2009 – 10am to 5pm:
Saxon Wight – at the Guildhall Museum, Newport – Free entry

The summer exhibition about the Island in the Saxon period includes the famous Chessell Down cemetery site and new discoveries made in recent years. The attraction will be open free of charge on Saturday 25th July between 10.00 – 17.00.

The summer exhibition, ‘Saxon Wight’, displays some of the amazing finds from the Island.

The exhibition tells the story of Anglo-Saxons on the Island and displays some of the important objects from the museum’s collection, including many new finds.

These include a skillet, which is a type of pan that may’ve been used for baptism purposes, a very rare gold necklace known as a bracteate, and a lady’s gilded silver brooch.

The Exhibition is a special celebration of the Island’s Saxon archaeology and free entry is available for this 1 day only to help celebrate the Island’s amazing archaeological past. The exhibition includes a leaflet suggesting Saxon sites to visit on the Island.

Saturday 1st August 2009 – 2pm to 5pm:
A Walk around an Anglo-Saxon Estate boundary

To celebrate the Guildhall Museum’s summer exhibition “Saxon Wight” and the Festival of Archaeology, John Margham will lead a 4.5 mile walk around the southern half of a surviving Anglo-Saxon Estate boundary.

John Margham is a leading authority on the Island Saxon Estates and has translated many of the original Saxon charters into English and written publications which show that these land boundaries still exist within our modern landscapes. Walk will start outside the Griffin Public House in Godshill. This is a very rare treat for fans of Saxon archaeology and a beautiful walk as well.

Places are limited on this walk and must be booked in advance. Call Ruth Waller on 823810 for information or to book places or visit Isle of Wight Natural History website here: IWNHAS