Weston Museum’s Young Archaeologists’ Club (known as Rusty Club, after our museum mascot – Rusty the Iron Age Dog) undertook an archaeological dig this Summer in Ellenborough Park East and found lots of interesting things!
Why did we dig?
Taking part in real archaeological digs is a great way to learn about the past and particularly about our local history. It’s hands on and often a bit messy! Families get to learn about real archaeological skills in a fun way.
Who took part?
Members of our Young Archaeologists’ Club and their families, plus other families who booked on to extra sessions to come along and dig. We were also joined by local historians and archaeologists who popped in on different days to help identify finds.
Where dig we dig?
We chose to dig in Ellenborough Park East, as this was an easily accessible and local site surrounded by Victorian architecture, so there was a good chance of some interesting finds. We had a previous dig in 2023, also in the park, when we found a large number of finds too. We picked a spot that lined up with where maps showed there had previously been a path going through the middle of the park.
What did we find?
We found lots and lots of Victorian rubbish! We think that the old path was laid with a foundation of contemporary refuse. This included broken pottery, glassware, tiles, slates, bricks and stones, leftover food waste (shellfish and animal bones), and lots of bits of broken clay pipes.
It was noted that there was a large quantity of broken pottery with blue patterning on it. Blue transfer printed ceramics (sometimes called willow pattern) were very fashionable in the Victorian era and often depicted imagery with oriental influences. This was around the time that increased links with China and Japan were influencing fashions in the West.
What was our star find?
One of the nicest items was a small figurine of Prince Albert, possibly the sort of thing that a middle class household might display as a part of a royal couple on the mantelpiece. Prince Albert was a little battered, with one shoulder and part of his nose missing, but we were very pleased to find him!
What happens next?
The finds have now been cleaned and sorted by Rusty Club members and photographed to create a record of them. As nothing of particular historical interest was found, none of the items will be moved into the museum’s accessioned collections (these are the objects that get kept in the collections permanently). But a small selection will be kept as part of the museum learning handling collections. These will be used for learning activities with schools and groups, to teach people about local history and archaeology.
Would you like to take part in a dig?
We try to plan archaeological digs for our Young Archaeologists’ Club every year or every other year. We also take part in monthly sessions and external trips where we do lots of hands on activities from crafts and games to visits to local sites. If you would like to find out more about Rusty Club then head to the Rusty Club page or ask a member of the museum team.