Gallery

Reconstructions

We commissioned Oxford Archaeology to come up with some reconstruction artwork for us. The results, as you can see, are spectacular and in a distinctive photographic style. On the left is a reconstruction of a Roman temple at Bourton Grounds near Thornborough and the Saxon All Saints' church at Wing is on the right.

The Roman villa at Yewden was excavated in the 1920s and so the reconstruction (on the left) is quite speculative, but the snowstorm gives it added realism. Look out for the servant, or possibly slave, stoking the fire for the hypocaust on the left. By contrast the Saxon period is represented (on the right) at Walton, with a sunken-floored building in the foreground and a log hut in the distance.

Ivinghoe Beacon (on the left) was thought to be Early Iron Age when it was excavated in the 1960s, but it probably dates back to the Late Bronze Age. We'd have to look at the evidence again to see whether the hillfort was defended at the same time as it was inhabited. Grim's Ditch (on the right) is thought to date back to the Early Iron Age, when the landscape was carved up into territories, perhaps for cattle grazing. Evidence for the palisade only comes from one excavation near Tring and so may not have carried on along the full length of the monument.

The 14th century wall paintings at All Saints' church in Little Kimble are still mostly there for all to see. The figure of St George and the Dragon is apparently unusual because St George is standing and not on horseback. The dragon was lost when the window was put in, so our reconstruction gives an idea of what the dragon may have looked like. Not a particularly fearsome foe!

School pictures

We have been visiting several schools to spread the word about this website and to try out some of our new games and activities. Sometimes the children send us pictures afterwards to say thank you. Here are two pictures from Westcott First School (left and right).

Year 3 at Monks Risborough School were very keen to try out our Virtual Excavation game, especially as it is based on Whiteleaf Hill, which they can see out of their classroom windows! Here are a couple of their pictures.

Somebody from Monks Risborough School also painted this rather grand picture of Whiteleaf Cross surrounded by trees, plants and birds (see left). The pupils studying the A/S Level Archaeology and Ancient History at Princes Risborough School were also very creative! Here's some artwork they made with some replica archaeological artefacts (on the right).

Events

This walk from Cholesbury took us to Hawridge Court, where we couldn't really get a good look at the medieval ringwork, but it was a beautiful day and we walked through the ancient landscape back to Cholesbury to have a look around the hillfort. We put on an event at the King's Head in Aylesbury for National Archaeology Day in 2005. Here is one of the organisers helping a visitor reconstruct a replica medieval pipkin that we had broken specially!

The Getting to Know Bernwood project did some very interesting events for people in the Bernwood area of Buckinghamshire (western Aylesbury Vale). A clamp kiln was reconstructed and fired on Brill Common, though we soon realised that we should have put more turf and mud on the outside! Sir Edmund Verney and the National Trust at Claydon House were kind enough to let us do some investigations there, including this building recording.

The Princes Risborough Countryside Group are really getting into archaeology! Read about their experiences of venturing into this new area. Here they are (on the left) in the Historic Environment Record seeing what might be of interest to them for future projects.

Time Team have dug in Buckinghamshire twice, most recently at Chesham Bois House. This is Phil Harding (on the right) during their first visit at Chenies Manor House.