Get creative in the National Park at this year’s Festival of British Archaeology

The Festival of British Archaeology 2023 has commenced and is being celebrated around the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park with a series of events inspired by the area’s stunning ancient landscapes.

 The theme of this year’s Festival is ‘Archaeology and Creativity’, and all three Park Authority-run visitor attractions will be offering the chance to get up close and personal with Pembrokeshire’s past.

At Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre in St Davids, a special Wednesday Club! Fossil-Making Workshop is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 26 July. Ideal for those seeking something creative to do during the holidays, the drop-in sessions will run between 11am-3pm at a cost of £3 per child.

Those visiting Castell Henllys Iron Age Village over the coming week can look forward to a variety of events, encompassing the worlds of ancient fashion and warfare, along with the thrill of interpreting the past through archaeological finds.

The Fashioning the Past workshop, which is included with normal entry, examines how our ancestors made clothes and other items of costume from natural materials, and will take place on Sunday 23 July between 10am-4pm.

Three Warrior School sessions are also scheduled for the week, where visitors will be invited to take up arms and discover combat techniques from different periods of history. The Iron Age session will take place on Tuesday 25 July, moving on to the Romans on Wednesday 26 July and the Vikings on Thursday 27 July.

 All Warrior School sessions will run between 10:15am-4:15pm and places can be booked in advance at https://pembrokeshirecoast.bookinglive.com/castell-henllys at a cost of £3 each.

On Friday 28 July, the Iron Age Village will host a Discover Archaeology workshop, with the chance to meet archaeologists, learn about archaeology within the National Park, handle some artefacts and find out what to do if you dig up something of interest. For an extra fee of £5, visitors will also be able to get digging for themselves with a hands-on Experience Archaeology activity.

Carew Castle will also be running a Festival of British Archaeology event on Monday 24 July. Unearthing History: Pembrokeshire’s Past has been organised in collaboration with Dyfed Archaeological Trust, who will be joined by several other local museums and history groups to provide a wide range of talks, displays and hands-on archaeology activities for visitors of all ages. The event is included free with normal Castle admission and will run from 10-4pm.

The Festival of British Archaeology is an annual two week event to celebrate the archaeology of Britain and is organised by the Council for British Archaeology. For more information on events taking place across the UK, both in person and online, visit www.archaeologyuk.org/festival.

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s full schedule of summer events can be found at www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/events.