Swindon Museum and Art Gallery are holding a free Family Archaeology Day in celebration of Swindon’s archaeology collection.
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery (SM&AG) have been running a two year project, ‘Swindon’s Archaeology in Context’ and the family day is in celebration of the work that has taken place.
The fun day is on Saturday 28 July from 11am to 3pm. There will be expert Archaeology Talks to celebrate the improvements to our Gallery and for visitors to find out more about Swindon’s rich archaeological collection, the Wiltshire Conservation and Museum Advisory Service will be on hand to showcase the skills and techniques they use to take care of archaeological collections. There will be the opportunity to try out some new skills like using x-rays to see through years of mud and corrosion… Children can ‘get crafty’ in a free workshop where they can make their own Roman Sword or spell out their name on a beaded Roman bracelet. Cotswold Archaeology will also be available to identify any small finds members of the public may have hidden at home. The team at Swindon Museum and Art Gallery encourage visitors to bring along any interesting artefacts they’ve unearthed and experts may be able to tell you what it is.
And, if all of that wasn’t enough, Wessex Ulfolc, an early medieval re-enactment group, will be on site, bringing history to life.
The project team has made significant changes to stored archaeology collections, cataloguing and re-organising excavation archives to provide greater access to staff and researchers. The Archaeology Gallery has also been refreshed and updated, with new cabinets and plinths to display archaeological objects that have previously been in store, like the Wroughton Coin Hoard and Early Medieval grave goods. Detailed interpretation panels guide visitors through the history of Swindon. There is a fab new children’s area where youngsters can dress like a Roman or identify pottery like an archaeologist, as well as objects on open display for visitors to handle.
The refresh of the gallery was made possible by the excellent team of collections volunteers, who have worked to uncover information about the Swindon collections. Their contribution has enabled Swindon Museum and Art Gallery to fully catalogue and display objects in new and exciting ways.
