Archaeology & Geology
We are a small and friendly group who meet on the 4th Monday of the month between 10:30 to 12:00 in the Village Centre.
Our meetings are generally face-to-face with a guest speaker talking about some of the many aspects of Archaeology & Geology. We also encourage group members to participate by telling us their own experiences of the subject with photos and artefacts, and perhaps producing a presentation. The use of a data projector can be arranged if needed.
On joining, members will be asked to pay a small annual fee to cover room hire and any speaker’s fees/expenses. We would welcome any new members; experience definitely not a requirement, just a willingness to learn and participate.
Our March 28th meeting was a talk given by Dr Wendy Morrison from the Chiltern Conservation Board who will explained Beacons of the Past - Investigating the Ancient Landscape of the Chilterns
April 25th meeting was a Show and Tell when members brought along archaeological and geological artefacts to discuss with the group.
At our 28th February meeting, we were shown an episode of the BBC1 programme 'Digging for Britain' featuring Dr Alice Roberts who focused on projects in the south of England. She specifically identified the excavations and findings at Stoke Mandeville during the dismantlement of the derelict Norman church of St Mary the Virgin. The site was an important Saxon settlement well before 1086 and the remains of its church and churchyard are thought to encapsulate 800 years of history. As the scale of destruction planned by HS2 will be total removing all traces of the village, church and churchyard, the dig was the last opportunity to discover its secrets and archaeologists finally unearthed an extraordinarily well preserved Roman head and bust.
In January we were delighted to welcome Dr Jill Eyers a geologist, geoarchaeologist and Director of Chiltern Archaeology. Jill's talk was entitled : 'It could only happen to a Geologist' : A humorous look at the work of geologists - how they are meant to work and then the reality of what actually happens on the job!'
Christine Prior
Nick Marriner-Kyle
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