The Festival of British Archaeology is a nationwide, annual event that aims to promote archaeology. It has been running for twenty years, and has evolved from a single day to two whole weeks. As in previous years the Wiltshire Archaeology Service are actively involved and this year we will be doing not one but two exciting days out. Both events are free!

Aerial view of Barbury Castle

The first event is an exciting guided walk around Barbury Castle followed by a walk down the Ridgeway (approximately 2.6 km) to see some of the amazing prehistoric features of the Marlborough Downs. Barbury Castle is an impressive Iron Age Hillfort with enormous ramparts that overlooks Wroughton, Swindon and the surrounding countryside. David Vaughan, Assistant County Archaeologist will be leading this walk at 2pm on Saturday 31^st July. To book your place or to find out more information see the contact details below via 'read more'.

The second event will be a talk and guided tour of the fascinating remains of the Littlecote Roman Villa, near Hungerford. This is one of the most complete excavations of a Roman villa in Britain and contains the magnificent Orpheus mosaic. The tour will start at 2pm on Sunday 1^st August and will be led by Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger, Wiltshire County Archaeologist. To book your place or to find out more information see the contact details below.

To book your place or to find out more information please contact:

Nancy Jane Danks, Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Cocklebury Road, Chippenham, SN15 3QN, telephone: 01249 705504, e-mail: archaeology@wiltshire.gov.uk . Places are going fast so book now to avoid disappointment!

For more information about other Festival of British Archaeology events in Wiltshire and beyond visit the official website at http://festival.britarch.ac.uk/.