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Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society |
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Lecture programme Autumn 2011-Spring 2012 |
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Lectures are held at the Birmingham and Midland Institute, 3 Margaret Street, Birmingham 3, at 7.00 p.m. except for the January lunch-time lecture (Central Library theatre, 1.00 p.m.). Non-members are very welcome to attend for a small fee (£2, but no charge is made for talks in the Library Theatre).
October 4: ‘Anglo-Saxon Tamworth: a reappraisal’, Mike Shaw, City Archaeologist, Wolverhampton City Council. Following the discovery of the Staffordshire hoard nearby, Mike Shaw has been looking afresh at the evidence for Anglo-Saxon Tamworth. He will be outlining some of the results of his work and hoping to l ay to rest some of the myths surrounding the early settlement.
November 1: ‘Reconstructing historic floods on the lower River Severn catchment, UK’, Professor Lindsey McEwen, (Professor of Physical Geography, University of Gloucestershire). A discussion of the evidence in Worcester, Tewkesbury and Gloucester (with a main focus on Tewkesbury). December 6: Annual General Meeting. Followed by lecture: ‘Shakespeare’s final home: archaeological excavations at New Place’, Kevin Colls, Research Fellow in Archaeology and Heritage, Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity, University of Birmingham. Documentary and historic research has provided valuable information on the work of William Shakespeare and the period of history in which he lived, but there are many unanswered questions and archaeology may hold the key to gaining a better understanding of the man himself. Through t he study of material culture (Shakespeare’s rubbish) and the building in which he spent the final years of his life, archaeologists can piece together details about his life whilst at the same time highlighting the impact his presence had on this site throughout history. Jan 10, 2012: Joint Lunchtime Library Lecture: 'Birmingham and its Workhouses', Chris Upton, Senior Lecturer, Newman University College, Birmingham. At a time when dependency and unemployment are once more centre-stage, Chris Upton looks back to the solutions of the 18th and 19th century, when poverty was a local, not a national, issue, and a workhouse stood in every parish. Where were the workhouses of Birmingham? And what kind of life did they offer? February 7: ‘Sutton Park: the archaeology of a special landscape’, Mike Hodder, Birmingham City Archaeologist. Sutton Park originated as a deer park in the 12th century and contains many well-preserved archaeological remains surviving as earthworks, including deer park subdivisions, medieval fishponds, millpools, woodbanks and a 19th-century racecourse in addition to prehistoric and Roman features. This lecture will include the results of a recent LiDAR survey and features revealed through heathland management. (Related excursion March 10th; meet Town Gate, Park Road, 10.00a.m.) March 6: ‘The Pass of Pedmore: ‘Pedmore prehistoric site’, John Hemingway, former Archaeological Officer for Dudley. An excavation took place at this important route into the Upper Stour Valley in the winter of 2009-2010. It revealed Bronze and Iron Age activity, on the opposite side of the valley to Wychbury Iron Age Hillfort. April 3: ‘The development of the Chester townscape through its architecture’, Stephen Dean, Principal Archaeologist, Staffordshire County Council. Following the highly successful visit to Lichfield, this lecture will examine the building heritage of another fine medieval town – Chester. (Related excursion in May; date to be arranged.)
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