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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 8h

Luke Jerram's Helios, a seven-metre spherical sculpture which is named after the sun god in ancient Greek mythology, will be viewable in the ruins of Fountains Abbey from 10am to 4pm, 11 and 12 October 2025.

Please visit the link for more information:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorksh...

Helios at Fountains Abbey | Yorkshire

Helios at Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 1d

"In the end it took us the full two weeks to locate the moat in the corners of two of our trenches. The problem was that the moat had been buried under up to 1.5 metres of soil and rubble to create a level area to layout the 17th century garden."

@nationaltrust.org.uk @midsandeastnt.bsky.social

A woman in a blue fleece is holding part of a pipkin pot

A fragment of a Tudor period German stoneware flagon which is decorated with various designs, including man wearing a helmet or hat

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 1d

"The key to finding the old house was going to be pinning down the position of the moat which once surrounded it. It should have been easy to find such a massive feature especially as we had some hints of its location from geophysics and earlier small excavations."

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 1d

"Our aim was to understand more about the history of the gardens, especially those which went with the late 17th century hall, and to see if we could locate the original medieval manor house which once stood nearby."

A group of archaeologists stood in and beside an archaeological trench are smiling at the camera

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 1d

We've got a little update from the excavations on the lawns of the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire.
Angus Wainwright, NT Archaeologist, says: "We teamed up with @oxfordarchaeology.bsky.social and Cambridge Archaeology Field Group to carry out this dig in front of hundreds of visitors." 🧵

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 1d

"Our aim was to understand more about the history of the gardens, especially those which went with the late 17th century hall, and to see if we could locate the original medieval manor house which once stood nearby."

An archaeologist in a trench with a wheelbarrow and buckets and tools ©National Trust/Mike Selby

National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 2d

Explore the story of the 3rd Earl of Sheffield & his enduring love & patronage of #cricket, from childhood games to creating a world class cricket pitch & hosting the Australian Cricket Team in 1896 in a new exhibition at Sheffield Park, until 23 November 🏏
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex...

Historic image in black and white showing a cricket match in progress at Sheffield Park in East Sussex. Ornately decorated pavilions are visible in the background of the image while in the foreground a bowler is running in and the batsman is standing at the stumps with other players around him

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 4d

*NEWS* We are delighted to share that Kayleigh Hibberd has been shortlisted in the Early Career Archaeologist category #ArchaeologicalAchievementAwards.
The winners will be revealed on 28 November at Queen’s University Belfast. The event will be live streamed on @archaeologyuk.bsky.social's YouTube.

A picture of an archaeologist wearing a hard hat and high visibility vest standing in a test pit on an archaeological site. The captions on the image read:
On the shortlist!
Early Career Archaeologist
Archaeological Achievement Awards
Sponsored by the Royal Archaeological Institute

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 5d

All the feels

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 5d

How’s everyone feeling??
#FridayFun

Image with text and six coloured circles. The text reads: if you can’t see the number then you are:
Blue circle with a number 4 visible: dehydrated
Light green circle with a number 2 visible: too warm
Grey circle with a zero visible: too cold
Dark green circle with a six visible: tired
Yellow circle with no number visible: still upset about the Library of Alexandria
Orange circle with the number 9 visible: hungry

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 7d

We can't wait to see and share the results!

National Trust - Midlands & East @midsandeastnt.bsky.social · 8d

We were excited to welcome Time Team back last week to Branodunum Roman Fort on the Norfolk Coast. Geophysics experts used Ground Penetrating Radar on parts of the site and now have a huge amount of data to analyse and interpret. We look forward to finding out what they found in the new year.

Two people from Time Team filming, whilst another stands talking to someone sitting in the small buggy that carries the Ground Penetrating Radar equipment.

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 7d

You can read more about the site here: heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRec...

Or learn more about Gunby Hall's history: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottin...

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 7d

In 2012 an earthwork survey identified the survival of a medieval or early post-medieval landscape, including extensive earthworks, likely associated with formal gardens, possibly contemporary with the hall and the survival of possible medieval settlement remains beyond the formal gardens.

A person standing within the grassed over moat of Bratoft Hall with a red and white ranging pole to indicate depth of the moat ©National Trust

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 7d

The Hall was demolished in 1698 and the family moved to a new house, Gunby Hall.
The remains of the moated site survive well as a series of earthworks. The site has been little altered since it was abandoned, and the waterlogged nature of the moat indicates good survival for organic remains.

Lidar imagery (©Environment Agency) showing the clearly defined earthworks of the moated manor site and associated features surrounding it

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 7d

It’s #LincolnshireDay, so we’re off to Gunby Hall to explore the site of a moated manor at the south of the Estate.
Bratoft Moated Manor was the seat of the Markham family from 1409 to 1538. In 1495 the lands of Bratoft and Gunby and the moated site at Bratoft came into the family. 🧵

Aerial photograph from 2019 (Historic England) showing the earthwork remains of the moated site

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 13d

Find out more about some of London’s oldest pubs - including our very own George Inn - in this new article by @jpwarchaeology.bsky.social, cheers! 🍻

James Wright @jpwarchaeology.bsky.social · 13d

A while back Historic England asked for my opinion on which was the oldest pub in London. The result is a new online article that outlines the variables, busts some myths, and points to a couple of genuinely ancient pubs in and around the city...

heritagecalling.com/2025/09/25/w...

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 14d

Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Duncan.

You can find out more about the dovecote on National Trust's Heritage Records Online: heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRec...

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 14d

The team are still working their way through the rubble and hope to complete their discoveries at the end of October.

Curious for more? They’re digging again this Thursday. Pop by, watch archaeology in action, and chat to the team.

NT images/Steve Timms

The remains of a cast iron stove surrounded by bricks and brick walls in an archaeological trench

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 14d

This hidden gem once powered the glasshouses, keeping the pineapples nice and toasty.

Stourhead estate records show there were three separate buildings for growing pineapples. Each would have been heated with a stove, which fed hot gases through cavities in the brick walls and floors.

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 14d

Big news from #OutintheField at the Walled Garden excavations at Stourhead! ⛏

The team, led by @nationaltrust.org.uk archaeologist Steve, have uncovered a 19th-century cast iron stove, sitting in its original spot - the cellar of the pine house. 🧵

A man in a black tshirt with a green National Trust emblem is holding a bucket, kneeling in front of an iron stove which was used to heat a pineapple house

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 21d

A snapshot of recent history at Sutton House - as part of a fire alarm upgrade project, we have some floorboards lifted & were able to look below them. All the finds post-dated the 1980s-90s restoration, including this @nationaltrust.org.uk centenary leaflet - lost almost 30 years ago to the day!

In the Squatters Room at Sutton House in Hackney, with a floorboard lifted in the centre of the space, showing the floor joists beneath.

A leaflet produced for the centenary of the National Trust in 1995, depicting two people on penny farthing bikes and advertising a photographic competition to win a trip to Florida and lifetime membership of the National Trust.

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 22d

#HeritageOpenDays is now in full swing, with lots of events still planned for the rest of this week.
The festival is running right through until Sunday 21st September, and you can find out more about which of our places are FREE to visit by visiting:
www.heritageopendays.org.uk/whats-on/sea...

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 28d

Find an event near you by searching the directory here:
www.heritageopendays.org.uk/whats-on/sea...

Search events

Heritage Open Days 2025: 12-21 September

www.heritageopendays.org.uk

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 28d

Between 12 & 22 September there are opportunities to explore places that you might not usually have access to, for example Horton Court - the oldest inhabited roofed structure the National Trust cares for, or enjoy free entry to Souter Lighthouse, the first to be designed and powered by electricity!

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National Trust Archaeology @nattrustarch.bsky.social · 28d

Brought to you by the National Trust, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and powered by thousands of local organisations and volunteers, the festival invites everyone to explore and connect with their local area. And it’s all FREE!

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