Living History Day

In Bourne Hall Park, meet the new Roman governor of Britain as he stops over in Ewell, protected by members of the Praetorian Guard, to make an offering to the sacred springs. The governor has arrived in Ewell coming up from the South Coast on the new road built as a route to London. His encampment contains many of his entourage; they will show visitors the Roman way of life, food, trades and crafts. The governor will be looking to recruit men for the army, while gladiators will fight to the death to entertain him, hoping to win a chance to fight in the imperial city. Roman Ewell was a stopping-off point on this road where folk could rest, eat, and stay the night. They could also make an offering of a coin or brooch in the sacred spring or leave a larger offering in one of the sacred shafts dug deep in the chalk just outside the settlement. Each shaft was sealed with the bones of three dogs to protect them.

Vikings

They will bring a tent and an encampment, With a range of items to show you the weapons, helmets, leather working and other crafts. Find out if they had horns on their helmets or not. You will be able to chat with them about these things and discover what life was like for them. They will have shields that the children can stand with to get photos, taken they did not know what photos were but by the time July comes they will! and they have some boards with the Viking runes on so that children can learn to spell out their names.

Prehistory

Meet two folk who will travel back from the deep time of the stone age to show you all you need to know to survive. To use the natural resources around you to be become successful hunter gatherers and how they settled down to become the first farmers.

Meet the Victorian Archaeologists

Join Discover History at the 'Dawn of Archaeology'. For Centuries the upper classes have collected curios and souvenirs taken from the Grand Tour. A section of Roman Mosaic or a piece of Ancient Egyptian Jewellery. However, behind the scenes, a few Antiquarians and collectors were developing the 'science' of what will become Modern Archaeology. Learn about the early techniques and the tools used, you can help our team sort some real archaeology, try your hand at 'marking out' and will you succeed in matching the fragments of real archaeology with some replica pieces.'

Find out finds table.

Have you found that coin in your garden and wondered if it was Roman or something more modern or if that that piece of flint may just be a pre-historic flint tool. That piece of pot is it roman, medieval, Tudor, or Victorian. Also, that bit of metal is it old or perhaps part of a WW2 anti-aircraft shell bring what you have found along to our finds table and we will do our best to identify it.

Coin and brass rubbing

20 and 24 July to 27 July in Bourne Hall Museum’s gallery try you had at coin rubbing and brass rubbing a free event.