The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Visitors to Ayscoughfee Hall had a blast with the past at the Festival of Archaeology.
The two-day history event transformed the gardens into Ayscoughfee “Jurassic” park.
Staff from Cambridgeshire museum Fossils Galore brought along real dinosaur bones for visitors to handle.
Remains from Indie, an eight-metre-long Iguanodon, and the skull of Stompy, a woolly rhinoceros, were on display. Stompy, who was found in Cambridgeshire in 2014, would have roamed the fens 250,000 years ago.
Jamie Jordan and Sarah Moore from Fossils Galore discovered Indie and were pleased their prehistoric creatures attracted so many visitors.
Jamie said: “It was fantastic to see so many people come along and children are really fascinated by the fossils.
“Indie and Stompy generated a lot of attention but we also had plenty of other activities going on which proved popular.”
Elsewhere at the festival, visitors got their hands dirty practising archaeological excavation by digging in pits and unearthing artefacts.
Local history was learned through a talk by Louise Jennings, Historic Environment Officer for Lincolnshire. Louise’s talk detailed the fascinating finds unearthed in South Holland, with a focus on Spalding’s ancient history.
There was the chance to get creative in the craft area, where fans of Roman art were able to create Roman mosaics while young visitors enjoyed the soft play area.
More than 900 people attended the history festival, which organisers hope to make a regular fixture.
