A little bit of history...
Old Sleaford Heritage Group is a volunteer led community group formed in 2013 with the involvement of local residents and history and archaeology professionals with the primary objective of establishing a community-based project to rediscover this little known, but historically important part of Lincolnshire.
A number of archaeological digs have taken place over the last 150 years in various parts of Old Sleaford uncovering evidence of continued habitation ranging from the Iron Age, through Roman, Saxon, Mediaeval, Tudor, 17th and 18th centuries to the modern day.
In the summer of 2013, local residents were presented with the rare opportunity of launching an archaeological dig on a piece of land located within the grounds of the original 'Old Place' manor house, once the residence of Lord Hussey, Chamberlain to Princess Mary, daughter of King Henry VIII, until his untimely execution at Lincoln Castle for treason.
After initiating a small test dig to uncover the remains of a 19th century fountain demolished during a small housing development during the 1980s, digging a little deeper with the assistance of a local archaeology expert immediately bore evidence of a comparatively large amount of mediaeval and roman pottery sherds and domestic waste dating back to 200-300 AD.
Active interest within the local community has prompted the group to embark on what will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand the project to a full size professional archaeological dig.
The most exciting part of the project is that YOU can be part of it! No previous experience is necessary and professional archaeologists are on hand to teach, guide and assist.
Community is at the heart of this project - two thousand years of it!
A number of archaeological digs have taken place over the last 150 years in various parts of Old Sleaford uncovering evidence of continued habitation ranging from the Iron Age, through Roman, Saxon, Mediaeval, Tudor, 17th and 18th centuries to the modern day.
In the summer of 2013, local residents were presented with the rare opportunity of launching an archaeological dig on a piece of land located within the grounds of the original 'Old Place' manor house, once the residence of Lord Hussey, Chamberlain to Princess Mary, daughter of King Henry VIII, until his untimely execution at Lincoln Castle for treason.
After initiating a small test dig to uncover the remains of a 19th century fountain demolished during a small housing development during the 1980s, digging a little deeper with the assistance of a local archaeology expert immediately bore evidence of a comparatively large amount of mediaeval and roman pottery sherds and domestic waste dating back to 200-300 AD.
Active interest within the local community has prompted the group to embark on what will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand the project to a full size professional archaeological dig.
The most exciting part of the project is that YOU can be part of it! No previous experience is necessary and professional archaeologists are on hand to teach, guide and assist.
Community is at the heart of this project - two thousand years of it!