A significant find by one volunteer of a polished Neolithic hand axe even hints at an early phase of human activity when woodland was being cleared for grazing. The new woodland will help to reduce further soil erosion, preserve the ancient burial mounds and bring trees back to the landscape again.

The archaeology has shown that the Estate was grazed for centuries before being converted to arable then enlarged to support mechanisation. Excavation found ancient dew ponds, which have now been incorporated into the new woodland.

Volunteers from local societies have been investigating the history of the landscape through geophysical survey, fieldwalking and excavation ahead of new woodland planting. The results have helped shape the new woodland and have been used to engage with visitors to Hinton Ampner.

This #HampshireDay we are celebrating the ongoing archaeological research at Hinton Ampner as part of larger nature recovery ambitions within the @nationaltrust.org.uk. 🧵

Alderley Edge, Cheshire – 18 July, 11am–3pm Explore the area's mining heritage through walks, displays, family archaeology activities and interactive digital experiences.

East Riddlesden Hall, West Yorkshire – 18 July, 10.30–11.30am Get up close to objects discovered beneath the floorboards and learn how collections specialists care for historic artefacts.

#OnThisDay we are celebrating 100 years of caring for Coldrum Long Barrow, given to @nationaltrust.org.uk in memory of Benjamin Harrison, who lived & worked in the area. Working with Historic England we have removed the fence - please do explore the site. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/c...

Erddig Hall, Wrexham - 23-25 July 10am-3pm 🪏 Learn about the archaeology and history of the lost village of Felin Puleston. Join in with family activities and learn about traditional land management techniques. from @henebtwa.bsky.social and learn about their work on the estate.

Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion - 20, 23, 27 & 30 July 12pm-2pm🔍 Experience the excitement of archaeology first hand with interactive archaeology sessions, learn how archaeologists uncover the secrets of the past, and see some intriguing finds that have never been displayed before.

Dolaucothi, Carmarthenshire – 1–2 August, 10am–1pm & 2–5pm ⚔ Experience Roman Britain brought to life with live excavations, re-enactments, demonstrations, talks, military displays and hands-on activities for all ages.

Today we're highlighting a few #FestivalofArchaeology events planned in the South West between 18 July and 2 August. To find out about events and activities at your local National Trust property please visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/whats-... 🧵

Explore the secrets of some of Stonehenge's rarely visited sites with a guided walk on Wednesday 22 July (10.30am - 1pm) with Archaeologist Dr Nick and Lead Ranger Keith, and discover how we're recreating a rare natural habitat. Book your place here: bit.ly/4oXuu5X #FestivalofArchaeology

Ilam Park, Derbyshire – 18–19 July, 10.30am–3pm 🪏 Enjoy a live excavation led by Derbyshire Scouts alongside pottery handling, clay-making and family-friendly dig activities.

Looking ahead to the #FestivalofArchaeology which starts on 18 July and runs to 2 August, the National Trust's Midlands and East of England teams have lots of activities ready for you to enjoy, including a number of excavations! Here's a selection 🧵

For those of you in the London and South East region, there are whole host of #FestivalofArchaeology activities and events to get involved with between 18 July and 2 August. Here are just a few 🧵 @nationaltrust.org.uk @archaeologyuk.bsky.social

From sand pit excavations to landscape walks, artefact handling to geophysical demonstrations, @nationaltrust.org.uk is proud to once again be taking part in the @archaeologyuk.bsky.social #FestivalofArchaeology between 18 July and 2 August.

The information the volunteers obtain and constantly improve upon helps us to make important decisions, alongside colleagues in our house and collection teams and our countryside teams, and many more!

being at the front line of conservation at our properties, to updating our National Trust Record of the Historic Environment and cataloguing and caring for finds, there's something for everyone!

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about some of the projects and activities our amazing volunteers are involved with. From condition surveys of sometimes hard-to-find archaeological sites and excavations revealing new stories about people in the past, taking visitors on guided tours,

"We often talk about the valuable work of our volunteers and of course that’s true, but to me, what’s more important is how the experiences impact those volunteers. That’s something we can’t quantify with metrics, but we can find ways for them to express this in their own ways."

Today we’re hearing from Shannon, NT’s National Archaeologist and Heritage and Archaeology Ranger Team (HART) programme manager. She says, “Over 600 and increasing – our HART volunteers work with our archaeologists and rangers to monitor, record and look after nearly 100,000 archaeological sites." 🧵

Fast-forward to today and we have a different attitude to World War Two heritage, now our Heritage and Archaeology Ranger Team (HART) volunteers go out to locate and monitor the condition of the last remaining evidence using our HART app. World War Two has become archaeology.

When you walk Suffolk's quiet beaches it’s difficult to believe that in 1940 this was the front line of an expected invasion. Just over the horizon German landing craft were being prepared while along the Suffolk coast beach defences were converting peaceful summer playgrounds to battle grounds. 🧵

They also identified a new stone boundary marker that hadn’t been recorded in the National Trust Record of the Historic Environment, so this will be added to our database to ensure it can be monitored in future.

They confirmed the presence of several boundary stones which were made out of millstone grit, some of which were inscribed with the initials “RRW”. It’s most likely RRW refers Reginald Henry Rimington-Wilson, who owned land on the Broomhead Estate in the late 19th/early 20th century.

Earlier this year, HART volunteers Vivien and Roy undertook a walkover survey of features identified on an 1855 Ordnance Survey map along the line of an historic boundary: heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRec...

Continuing on our theme of #Volunteering this month, today we're hearing about a condition monitoring and survey project on the Derwent and Howden Moors in the Peak District. 🧵

We're so excited to be returning to beautiful #BodiamCastle in August for our final season of #Bodiam100. Working with Archaeology SouthEast & @uclarchaeology.bsky.socialwe're planning to further explore the evidence for #Roman activity south of the River Rother & the #medieval landscape & castle.

"The finds, all washed, bagged and stored in boxes, then need to be connected to the database and map. A few have been added to the NT collection, but many sit quietly in attics and stables, with only the spiders for company."

"At the heart of our archaeological data is the Historic Buildings, Sites and Monuments Record (HBSMR) database and GIS mapping. This helps the archaeologists make important decisions. All the buildings and archaeological sites that we know about are recorded here, or are in the queue!"