Spent the last 2 days speaking on secret passage folklore for The Arts Society in Wolverhampton & Essex. Last night, I discovered that Anne from The Famous Five was keen to ensure that the National Planning Policy Framework was consulted prior to digging on Finniston Farm 😁

Just zipped through London. Was pleased to walk past the venue for The Buildings Archaeologist show on 18 Nov, St Botolph's Church Hall on Bishopsgate. I've hired the venue myself so please do grab tickets to ensure I at least get my deposit back! 😬 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-buildi...

We launched The Buildings Archaeologist book tour late last week. Here's all the shows for 2026! Tickets are now available: triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/the-building... More dates to come in 2027!

Really great to catch up with old university pals last night for a beer and a babble 🖤

Morose.

Dates for The Buildings Archaeologist book tour are now live! I shall be asking the question: why do we know so little about the ancient buildings which surround our everyday lives? Full details of each show and ticket links are available via: triskeleheritage.com/the-building...

I assume that, upon arrival at their digs, everyone else immediately goes for a nose at the cellar?

Guess there are worse railway cuttings to be delayed in...

On me way to Buxton and snagged an accidental selfie with the Bennerley Viaduct. Engineered by Samuel Abbott, and completed in 1877, it once carried the Great Northern Railway a quarter of a mile across the River Erewash.

"...No sleep til Buxton!"

Last call for my return to Buxton Festival Fringe. I'll be at the Old Clubhouse talking about Castles of Derbyshire tomorrow (Wed 8 July). Tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/castles-of...

My favourite castle in Derbyshire is Pilsbury, a well-preserved Norman motte & bailey in the Dove valley. Its a remote site and I've always had it to myself on visits. Come find out more about Derbyshire Castles at Buxton Festival Fringe on Wednesday... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/castles-of...

Picked up an Enid Blyton. Led to a spot of scouting around. Discovered that caves or tunnels feature in 16 of the 21 Famous Five novels. No wonder so many who read these as kids think secret passages really do exist (when they, sadly, don't)!

Smoke-blacked rafters from a 15th century house in Notts. Yet the building is listed as being 17th century. A central theme of my new book - The Buildings Archaeologist - is to ask why we know so little about ancient buildings. Out 8 Oct, more info: tinyurl.com/bdhbmmer

We'll be announcing the first 30 dates of The Buildings Archaeologist book tour next week. Please remember: - All shows were booked DIY - If I'm not coming to your town its because no one local stepped up to organise a gig - These are the 2026 gigs, there are more shows in 2027

Good way into drawing up a cruck-framed house in Worcestershire. Been a while since I've surveyed an entire house from scratch with disto and handtape. Relieved to learn the measurements make sense and I can still recall how to use AutoCAD 🧐

Really looking forward to appearing at Buxton Festival Fringe next week to talk about The Castles of Derbyshire, including the late 16th century towerhouse at the Old Hall in Buxton itself! More info & bookings: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/castles-of... 📸 John Speede, 1610

Last call for events organisers interested in arranging dates for the Autumn 2026 leg of The Buildings Archaeologist book tour! We'll be launching the run in about a week... More info: triskeleheritage.com/the-building...

I'm stoked that, superstar stonemason, Rachael Wragg has reviewed The Buildings Archaeologist: "James makes the field of buildings archaeology accessable and engaging for both beginners and experts, a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish." More info: thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/...

Y'know, I've come to wonder whether, Def Leppard's seminal 1992 masterpiece, Let's Get Rocked might be about something other than Triassic geology...

Derbyshire Folk, I shall be coming to chat about the castles of your fair county at Buxton Festival Fringe on Wednesday 8 July... including this hidden gem from the fifteenth century at Mackworth. More info & tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/castles-of...

After 3.5 hours on a late-running train with no air con, I am about to experience an Ice Cold in Alex moment...

Broke my journey home at the delightfully bonkers Wizard's Thatch at Alderley Edge. And, yes, there really is a seventeenth century house under that lot...

Really looking forward to returning to Buxton Festival Fringe in a couple of weeks and then making my debut at Bosworth Mediaeval Festival in August! Ticket links available via the Triskele Heritage website: triskeleheritage.com/in-person-ta...

Last night my hosts told me not to let the bath plug out of my sight or the brownie would steal it #FolkloreThursday

Top tip for buildings archaeology: where possible, always improvise a shady seat to work whilst making friends with the locals.

Lunch date with An Enigmatic Mound.

Top tip for buildings archaeology: get some elevation when shooting buildings (even if this means balancing precariously on a handy bag of gravel).

Up in the Scottish Borders surveying a farm with a possible castle on site. This is my home for the next couple of nights. There are ducks, geese, swans, chickens, turkeys & horses roaming at large, and its still light at 11pm, so its anyone's guess how much sleep I'll get!

Back to record the roof structures of a late mediaeval house in Nottinghamshire. Under these tiles it is just a tiny bit "warm"...