Information on Loughborough

Come and hear rock experts at Snibston

Posted on 14/07/2010

Leicestershire Councty Council Community Services

14 July 2010

Come and hear rock experts at Snibston

Megaliths and early mines will be up for discussion at Snibston when you can come and Meet The Experts as part of the Leicestershire Festival of Archaeology.

On Wednesday 21st July at 2pm Landscape of the Megaliths will see Dr Mark Gillings from the University of Leicester explaining recent discoveries which shed new light on the stone circle at Avebury.

These revealed unexpected monuments in and around Avebury, including a lost avenue of standing stones and a 100 ton megalith – one of the largest in Britain. They also show what happened to Avebury in the medieval and later periods as a flourishing village grew up within the circle of standing stones.  

The second talk, The Archaeology of Coalmining, will run on Monday 26th July at 7.30pm. Fred Hartley, one of Leicestershire County Council Museums’ own experts, will explain how some of the earliest coal mines ever examined by archaeologists were found in North West Leicestershire.

David Sprason, Leicestershire County Council Lead Member for Adults and Communities said: “I’m delighted that Snibston is part of such a fantastic national festival, it is an excellent venue for people to learn about their local heritage and the world around them.”

Both talks at Snibston Discovery Museum are free but pre-booking is required. Call  01530 278444 to book or visit www.snibston.com for further details on the ‘Meet the Expert’ Archaeology talks and all of our other exciting talks, events and exhibitions.

These events are part of Leicestershire County Council’s Festival of Archaeology – the country’s biggest ever archaeology festival. From Saturday 17th July - Sunday 1st August, over 110 events will provide people the opportunity to get involved with archaeology and their local historic environment.

A full list of all the events is available at: www.leics.gov.uk/archaeologyfestival or alternatively please pick up a leaflet listing the events from museums, libraries and Tourist Information Centres, or call: (0116) 305 8326.