Community event uncovering Ealing's past
History-lovers and amateur archaeologists are invited to take part in an excavation project at Walpole Park to uncover a relic from the site’s past.
From 8 to 12 January, volunteers will work with archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MoLA) to uncover older surfaces under the current bridge, which are believed to date back to the 1700s. They will be given all of the tools, training and safety advice to take part as real archaeologists.
The current bridge in the north-east corner of the park was built by Sir John Soane in the early 1800s, but an early drawing shows that a bridge existed on the site well before this time.
Over the past few years, MoLA has carried out a historic environment assessment at Walpole Park and Pitzhanger Manor House to find archaeological remains, as well as garden and plants from centuries past.
The bridge dig will be the next step in uncovering and restoring the park’s history and will form an important part of the wider regeneration project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said: “This is another great community event to come out of Walpole Park – and a unique one at that. Not many people would have had the opportunity to undercover artifacts from our ancestors, so I encourage everyone to take part.”
All people over 16 are welcome to take part, whether for a few hours or the whole five days. Children won’t miss out either, with a family archaeology workshop taking place in the park on Saturday 12 January from 2pm to 3pm.
For more information or to sign-up for the bridge dig, please contact Florence Andrews on andrewsf@ealing.gov.uk or 020 8825 6742.
12th December 2012