Archaeology at Arthur's Stone

Archaeology at Arthur's Stone Official page for info from the Archaeologists working on Arthur's Stone, Herefordshire

As we get towards the end of the excavation for this season, our work grows more and more precise.Recording what we've f...
22/07/2026

As we get towards the end of the excavation for this season, our work grows more and more precise.

Recording what we've found requires extensive cleaning, detailed drawing, photography and digital techniques such as photogrammetry, compliled using drone footage to produce 3D models. Its long and tiring work, sometimes even more so than the manual labour that comes before. However, these steps are what prove that we are following best practices and can share our knowledge accurately with other academics and interested parties.

Only a few days left. We better hop to it!

Our brilliant staff and supervisor team, in all their glory.The dig acts as a field school for many students, reliant on...
20/07/2026

Our brilliant staff and supervisor team, in all their glory.

The dig acts as a field school for many students, reliant on the teaching, guidance and support of this group. Without their digging, analysing and interpretating, we wouldn't have half the knowledge out of this site that we have now.

A big thanks to all our staff! A team almost entirely made up of former students on the project, which speaks to its success. ⭐️

Since the weather has been no help to us, we've taken matters into our own hand.To combat the dry, hard, dustiness of th...
19/07/2026

Since the weather has been no help to us, we've taken matters into our own hand.

To combat the dry, hard, dustiness of the landscapes around Arthur's Stones, we've taken to soaking the trenches. This both softens the dirt, making it easier to work and dig, but also makes features more visible as they absorb moisture and reveal themselves.

We're in our final stretch of this season, so now is the time to start interpreting what we're finding. And for that, we need to be able to see it!

Congratulations to St Faith's Church, which has been reopened by supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.Earlier this we...
18/07/2026

Congratulations to St Faith's Church, which has been reopened by supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Earlier this week, we were invited along to have a sneak peak of the space and a glimpse into the Dorstone Settlement Timeline. Today, the community came together to celebrate the church as a new educational and communal space, renewed for the future.

As archaeologists on Arthur's Stone, as well as working on Snodhill Castle and on Dorstone Hill in the past, our excavations are a central source of knowledge used to understand the heritage of the village. For us and the people who live here, there is a shared passion for understanding the past, and developing our appreciation for the traces that remain.

Have you engaged with our project this year or in the past? Are you local to Dorstone, or eagerly visiting? Our 'Ask an ...
15/07/2026

Have you engaged with our project this year or in the past? Are you local to Dorstone, or eagerly visiting?

Our 'Ask an Archaeologist' session aims to collect experiences from people who have engaged with the local landscape and its history, and offers an opportunity for you to share your burning questions with our archaeologists. It will be taking place at The Pandy Inn in Dorstone from 5-7pm with Laura, a University of Manchester archaeologist. It is lined up to take place directly before our final Village Hall talk of the season, where you can hear from and follow up with Julian Thomas and our other expert archaeologists from 7:30pm.

The Beneath Hay Bluff project is deeply connected with the landscape in which it is situated. As archaeologists, the knowledge we create with the people who still live in it today and their ongoing experiences are vitally important to us. Therefore, we would love to hear from you, and would ask your consent to record the conversations to add to our archives. Everyone is welcome.

If you have any further questions before the session and talk, please contact Laura at [email protected], or visit us on site at the information tent, any day except Saturdays.

Beneath Hay Bluff Lectures 2026Tuesday 14th July Tom Elliot (Historic England Regional Science Advisor): ‘Before Arthur’...
12/07/2026

Beneath Hay Bluff Lectures 2026

Tuesday 14th July

Tom Elliot (Historic England Regional Science Advisor): ‘Before Arthur’s Stone: The Mesolithic in Herefordshire’

Dorstone Village Hall, 7:30 pm

Arthur's Stone's first experimental jewellery workshop was a hit!Bringing together Laura from and Max from , this works...
11/07/2026

Arthur's Stone's first experimental jewellery workshop was a hit!

Bringing together Laura from and Max from , this workshop is the first of its type with in St Faith's Church. Having undergone renovations and now boasting a wonderful kitchen and accessible bathroom facilities, the space is ready for all sorts of exciting uses.

We made plant fibre cordage and shale pendants, styled after the Mesolithic Star Carr 'jewellery'. This experimental style of archaeology allows participants to understand through making the processes and materials past people would have interacted with, and offers an insight that isn't possible through lecture style learning.

If you are curious and would like to take part, join us for our second iteration of the session next weekend, on Saturday 18th July at 2:30pm in St Faith's Church. Find the details for sign up at 's page.

Work work work on our 15x15m ring ditch and barrow trench. It takes a lot of manpower to uncover the type of prehistoric...
09/07/2026

Work work work on our 15x15m ring ditch and barrow trench.

It takes a lot of manpower to uncover the type of prehistoric features we're looking for. When you go this far back in history, archaeology demands a gentle and expert touch. A lot of what we are seeking are shown by subtle changes in colour and texture of soil, where historic structures and features may have once existed before being removed, degraded or covered over. Luckily, we have plenty of willing bodies!

Wish us luck to make it through this heat. Let's hope there is lots to be found to make the toil worth it!

During downtime, our students are being treated to a range of workshops back on camp.Glass arrowheads, slate pendants, c...
08/07/2026

During downtime, our students are being treated to a range of workshops back on camp.

Glass arrowheads, slate pendants, cordage, and clay 'Venus' figurines have been some of our favourite sessions recently. The experimental archaeology sessions are being run by Laura Thompson, from back in Manchester. We've loved making unique prehistoric inspired items to take home.

If you think working with your hands and learning a bit about prehistoric craft techniques sounds like good fun, consider joining us at our public workshops! On Saturday 11th and 18th July at 2:30pm in St Faith Church in Dorstone, Laura will be offering for anyone who is interested to have a go, in collaboration with . Please get in touch with any queries.

The discovery of what we hope to be a ring ditch is the perfect learning opportunity for our students.Drawing sections, ...
07/07/2026

The discovery of what we hope to be a ring ditch is the perfect learning opportunity for our students.

Drawing sections, plans and filling out context sheets is something that is best learnt in our practical field school. A lecture hall can't offer the same experience, which is why students come so far to learn archaeology under Julian Thomas and our other experts in the field.

And what an exciting excavation to learn these skills through! Our exploratory trench is turning up some things of real significance, and will shortly (we hope) be expanded to uncover even more.

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