Introducing the geology, archaeology, geoarchaeology and palaeo-environments of the Fen edge and associated Brecks river valleys, from 500,000 years ago to the present day.
Delivery Lead Organisation: Norfolk Geodiversity Partnership
This project has introduced participants to the geology, archaeology, geoarchaeology and palaeo-environments of the Fen edge and associated Brecks river valleys, from 500,000 years ago to the present day.
Drawing on a wealth of nationally important and lesser-known sites, it has offered talks/ lectures, fields trips and artefact handling sessions to:
As well as delivering a series of lectures in various locations across the Brecks, project lead Tim Holt-Wilson also created two day schools. Both involved a coach tour of the area, visiting a range of significant sites and hearing from a variety of experts.
The first day school focused on Bones and Stones – a morning of paleolithic archaeology lectures and a museum Palaeolithic material handling session, and an afternoon visiting West Stow, Rampart Field, Barnham, and East Farm Pit culminating in an exhibition of flint knapping by John Lord at Lynford Hall Pit.
The second day was for holocene archaeology – Burnt Mounds and Bog Oaks. Exploring a landscape of hunter gatherers using flint tools on sandhills and by rivers where the first farmers used pot boilers (made from heat affected flint). This day school culminated in a trip to a lost lake, complete with shell marl excavation and bog oak piles! The resources for this day school can be found in our Heritage Resources.
A learning resource has also been created for land managers. Many archaeological finds have been made on farmland during routine, or functional excavation work by land managers. This talk gives an overview of the special, ancient history of the Brecks landscape, highlighting what anyone working the land should look out for, and providing advice and guidance. This narrated presentation can be found in the 2.1 resources tab, and on the BFER Youtube Channel.
Many archaeological finds have been made on farmland during routine, or functional excavation work. This talk gives an overview of the special, ancient history of the landscape and highlights what anyone working the land should look out for.
Here you can find the presentations about Burnt Mounds and Bog Oaks – an overview of holocene archaeology in Norfolk and Suffolk:
An introduction to the Brecks’ Fen Edge & Rivers Landscape Partnership Scheme’s ‘Hidden Heritage: discovering Geology and Archaeology’ project.
Narrated by Tim Holt-Wilson, this presentation highlights some of the geological and archaeological features of the Brecks’ fen edge and rivers that make it so unique, and looks forward to the 3 Day-schools that the Scheme hopes to deliver in 2021: Bones and Stones, Burnt Mounds and Bog Oaks, and Fen Edge Archaeology for Land Managers, as well as the Series of Hidden Heritage Talks which will be delivered in 2021-2022.
