To celebrate the national Festival of British Archaeology, there will be free entry to two historic Isle of Wight attractions this month.   Newport Roman Villa and a summer exhibition, ‘Saxon Wight’ will be opening at the Museum of Island History on Saturday 25th July. 

Visitors are encouraged to bring along any archaeological items they have to Newport Roman Villa if they want to identify them.

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.

There’s also the opportunity to learn about the Saxon history of the Isle of Wight with a visit the Museum of Island History in Newport Guildhall. The attraction will also 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,

A free trail leaflet accompanying the exhibition will also be available which has been produced with assistance of funding from the Museum Libraries and Archive Council.

Isle of Wight Council Deputy Leader George Brown said

“The Isle of Wight has an intriguing past. The exhibitions at Newport Roman Villa and the Guildhall give a fascinating insight into life on the Isle of Wight hundreds of years ago.

“With the school holidays from 22nd July, it’s also a wonderful opportunity for families to visit an attraction free of charge and learn more about the history of the Island”