TIME Team fans can watch a real-life dig unfold at a historic site in Dorset.

The dig at Corfe Castle is part of the Festival of Archaeology which is marked this month and will see events across the area including on Portland and at Puddletown.

At Corfe, National Trust archaeologists and volunteers will be investigating parts of the castle which have recently been exposed by erosion.

Visitors are welcome to chat to the experts as they work, and to ask questions.

Part of the project will focus on the Inner Ward, at the top of the castle, where a length of medieval wall beside a well has been uncovered.

At the same time, a geophysical survey backed up by two small trenches in the West Bailey will investigate the foundations of another wall before work is carried out to protect it from further erosion.

The archaeology is important because there are only limited surviving records of how Corfe Castle looked before it was partially demolished by Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War.

Results will help experts decide the best ways of protecting the two areas in the future.

The dig will take place between Monday, July 21 and Friday, July 25. The festival itself runs from Saturday July 12 to Sunday July 27, featuring a family trail, living history displays and hands-on activities.

Corfe Castle operations manager Andrew Eustace said: “We are sure our visitors will enjoying seeing at first hand some of the work that goes on to conserve a scheduled ancient monument for future generations.”

The Festival of Archaeology is a free event but normal admission charges apply. Admission to Corfe Castle is free to members of the National Trust.

 

THERE are three more events in Dorset taking place every weekend throughout the Festival of Archaeology.
On Saturday, July 12 a lecture about the new discoveries at Stonehenge is taking place at C2000 Hall, All Saints Church on Portland.
The lecture, which runs from 2.30pm to 4pm, is being given by Professor Mike Parker Pearson,  who led the Stonehenge Riverside Project. Admission costs £4.
On Saturday, July 19 people are invited to view a recently discovered Roman Villa at Druce Farm in Puddletown. The villa, which includes a near complete mosaic floor, will be open from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
This is a free event and guided walking tours will take place every half an hour.
On Saturday July 26 Poole Museum is holding a
maritime archaeology day to coincide with its new exhibition Faces Beneath the Waves: Decoding The Swash Channel Wreck.
The event runs from 11am to 3pm and is free to attend.