From walks to gruesome history talks - everything taking place in Harborough and Lutterworth as part of The Festival of Archaeology

A festival celebrating Leicestershire’s heritage will begin this weekend, with talks, walks and events taking place across Lutterworth and Harborough.

The Festival of Archaeology runs from Saturday (June 29) to July 31 with local highlights including guided walks to Hallaton Castle - the best preserved motte and bailey castle in the county – and talks on the Hallaton Roman helmet.

Festival coordinator Peter Liddle said: “There are events to be enjoyed every day of the festival and we are excited to share our enthusiasm for local heritage and inspiring both young and old.”

Here is what is happening across our patch:

Events

Hallaton Crypt Reinstatement Project, July 13-28, St Michael and All Angels Church – this event showcases discoveries by community archaeologists and local historians, and looks at the proposed reistatement of the church crypt. Refreshments available between midday and 4pm at weekends.
Stone Age Flints, July 20, 2pm, Lutterworth Museum, free – learn about flint tools and how they are made, along with seeing local found artefacts.
Hallaton Discovery Day, July 24, 10.30am – 3.30pm, Harborough Museum, free – learn about the newly-displayed replica Hallaton Helmets, meet a Roman soldier and take part in creative crafts.

Guided walks and talks

Foxton Inclined Plane Tour, July 2, 9, 16 & 23, midday, 1pm & 2pm, Foxton Canal Museum, free – Find out more about the flight of locks built in 1814.
The Prehistoric Landscape of Lutterworth East, 10 July, 10.30am, £4 – Meet at Great Central Walk on Station Road for a 1.5mile guided walk of the new Lutterworth East development site and what it would have looked like thousands of years ago.
A Walk Around Market Harborough, 12 & 17 July, 7pm, £5 – Meet at the Old Grammar School for a walk to view the town’s historic buildings.
Hallaton Castle Walk, July 14, 21 & 28, 1pm & 3pm, £5 – Meet at Hallaton Museum for this walk to visit the site of Leicestershire’s finest Motte and Bailey Castle.
Hallaton Heritage Trail, July 17 & 24, 6pm, £5 – This gentle walk exploring Hallaton’s heritage starts at the museum.
St Morrell’s Round In Two Halves, July 20 & 21, 10am to 2pm, £10 – This 18 mile trek from Hallaton Museum is carried out across two days and takes in a circular pilgrimage to the rediscovered Chapel of St Morrell.

Talks

Hallaton Castle, A Landscape of Lordship, St Michael and All Angels Church, July 13, 7pm, £5 – University of Leicester archaeologist Matthew Morris talks about Hallaton Castle and how new research has helped place it.
Murder and Mayhem in Medieval Leicester, Lutterworth Methodist Church, July 20, 10.30am, £5 – hear gruesome tales from medieval Leicester, including the bell ringer murdered by the vicar and the frier hung, drawn and quartered for treason.
The Hallaton Helmet, Harborough Museum, July 20, 10.30am – learn about recreating the Hallaton Helmet. Booking essential.
The Rutland Roman Villa Project, St Michael and All Angels Church, Hallaton, July 20, 7pm, £5 – Archaeologist Peter Liddle talks about the Rutland Roman Villa Project, which started with a family who uncovered a Roman mosaic.
Recreating Britain’s Finest Roman Cavalry Helmet, St Michael and All Angels Church, Hallaton, July 27, 7pm, £5 – A talk about how a ‘rusty bucket’ found near Hallaton was restored over 20 years.

Click here for full listings.