Date Written
26 September 2018
Projects
The Redcliffe Quarter Archaeological Open Day was held on Saturday 15th September. Celebrating Bristol Open Doors and Heritage Open Days weekend we opened the site gate at 10am for a chance to see behind the scenes of the ongoing archaeological excavations in Redcliffe. Accompanied by our pop-up exhibition at St Mary Redcliffe Church, visitors could hear about our recent discoveries and striking finds unearthed from the site situated between Redcliff and St Thomas Street.
With the sun shining brightly and archaeologists from OCA on hand to guide and answer any questions, this was one of many events taking place across Bristol celebrating the city’s rich archaeological heritage. The site formed part of an archaeological themed trail, linking with Kings Western Roman Villa, Bristol Castle and Vaulted Chambers.
On site visitors could come and see our archaeologists in action and hear more about the ongoing excavations. A viewing platform was installed within the site, accompanied by information boards and archaeologists were on hand to discuss and answer any questions. Colour-coded flags were also used within the excavation area, to differentiate between features and complex phases within the site.
Image: an archaeologist welcomes visitors to the display in the Vaulted Chambers
We also showcased further information about Redcliffe and its medieval past within our pop-up exhibition. Holding such an event with a working church does come with challenges and, with the help of many individuals over the course of the weekend, we were able to transform the space into a busy archaeological hub. Our team worked tirelessly to produce a diverse handling collection and display using finds from site and separated the display cabinets into five themes linking with the site (Domestic, Industrial, Personal, Mystery Finds etc.). Bespoke activities for both children and adults alike were created for the event, with ‘make your own medieval soap’ featuring due to popular request.
When the site gates finally closed at 4pm on the Saturday we had welcomed 662 people onto site and 3,500 people visited us in St Mary Redcliffe Church. The exhibition continued to be a success on the Sunday, with visitors even returning for a second visit to ask more questions and handle finds they couldn’t the day before. Thank you to everyone who came to visit us over the course of the weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of you.
Image: entrance to the site open day
A special thank you to St Mary Redcliffe, Galliford Try and Redcliffe Quarter.
