"The village with a summer 'bubble'." Sedgeford by leics

Sedgeford Travel Guide: 1 reviews and 34 photos

Brilliant place for digging!

Sedgeford: a tiny village in north Norfolk, 3 miles west of Hunstanton, one pub (the King William), one shop/PO (Cole Green Stores, run by Bert), houses, a school, a river .............and an enormous amount of heritage.

I'd never have even visited the place, probably, if it wasn't for the archaeology and the fact that Sharp (www.sedgeford.plus.com) has been set up to investigate the history of the area, involving the community in their own past. It's through Sharp that I discovered the 'bubble' which exists for 8 weeks in the summer, down by the river where the coots wander and shrews hide in your shoes at night, where strange grubby people (all paying volunteers) spend all day scratting in the soil and skeletons see the light of day after 1000+ years underground. Where the visiting public can be amazed at the sight of 'real' archaeogists doing 'real' archaeology, be stunned by the motley collection of ragged and strangely-stained clothes worn by said archaeologists, hear strange cries of 'OK!' from people peering through surveying equipment, the creak of aged knee joints and the muttered swearing as flint rips through hands or blisters form, wonder at the intersecting cuts of ditches and ditches and even more ditches, graves and graves and more graves...........all the while being guided by their own personal tour manager!

Sedgeford has a long history, even longer than history itself suggests for a settlement was almost certainly there in the Iron Age and probably before. We have found 40 golden Iron Age coins hidden in a cow bone, and the end of a golden Iron Age torc (twisted neck decoration). In Roman times there was definitely a farmstead on the hill, and probably more sites as yet undiscovered.The Saxons came, and settled, and buried their dead in the Christian cemetery we are digging (250+ skeletons lifted so far); there is almost certainly a pre-Christian cemetery too, but we haven't found it yet. The Normans dammed the river so that they could grow reeds, for thatching and floor-coverings; the 'Reedam' still exists. The church is lovely, Medieval, small and peaceful.

People live where people have always lived, often; if it's a good place, it's a good place so settlement builds on settlement builds on settlement. The dig at Sedgeford is slowly uncovering the layers of the village, reporting back to the people who live there now (some of whose ancestors we may well be digging up) and building a picture of the past.

The Saxon skeleton I excavated.

If you have any desire to have a go at field archaeology, I can highly recommend Sharp. A week's training is provided (and is of high-quality, being under the wing of the University of East Anglia) and then you can stay as long as you want to. There are other courses too; human remains, artefacts and ecofacts, woodland, archaeoastronomy. But if you like getting grubby, and physical work, and the idea of being the first person to see something for thousands of years then being in a trench is for you! There's no better way of getting a tan, and if the sun doesn't shine the iron-rich soil will ensure your skin has a faintly orange sheen anyway! You'll probably have to camp, but we get fed and there are toilets and showers, so it's bearable even for those (like me) who loathe camping. And the social life is excellent; ages range from 16 to 70, there are activities planned most evenings if you want to join them and, if not, there's always someone to talk to.

It's a bubble, with no TV, no newspapers (unless you buy your own from Bert), no radio (unless you bring your own)..............just digging, birdsong, weather and mates. A brilliant stress-buster!

Between work sessions (I'm in the hat)

Pros and Cons

Pros:Not a huge amount to see, except for the dig
Cons:None that I came across
In a nutshell:Visit in the summer season to see the dig

Last visit to Sedgeford: Aug 2007
Intro Updated Mar 5, 2011
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The summer dig in Sedgeford has been running for well over 10 years. It's open to the public every day, except Saturday,... more travel advice

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XenoHumph Jun 12, 2010 at 11:25 AM

This is very interesting! You must be very patient and delicate to do this. Fun page!
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Trekki Jun 22, 2008 at 9:58 AM

WOW, this is fantastic!!! Do you need an assistant one day? I LOVE getting muddy, I often think I was born to get dirty :-)) Or I can do the shopping? Or drawing, or.. or.. so many thrilling ideas :-))
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VeronicaG May 18, 2008 at 10:53 AM

What an amazing opportunity!
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pieter_jan_v Nov 14, 2007 at 11:53 PM

I expected a King William nightlife tip, but you must be digging all day. PJ
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unravelau Oct 27, 2007 at 8:18 PM

A wonderful and interesting page J. I must have been an archeologist in a former life because I just love these little mysteries. Thank you. Carole.