Albertopolis. Or, there’s still a Britain to believe in

I had to go to the V&A this morning, and as it was so warm and I had an hour I walked from Paddington station across Hyde Park. Here are some random photos in the order I took them, walking through a park in London, down a street and back again. It’s a walk that …

A close look at Blick Mead and Star Carr

This is very exciting. It’s not often we get large excavation monographs devoted to single mesolithic sites in the UK (Three Ways Wharf stands out, a site that was published in 2011 and excavated in the 1980s), but recently within the space of a few weeks we got two: Blick Mead in mid March (photo …

New British Archaeology!

The July/August edition of British Archaeology is published online today, and members and subscribers will start getting their copies in the post. It’s a terrific issues, with a striking front cover featuring Star Carr. You’ll be able to find it in the shops on Friday. Here are some of the highlights. Star Carr For the …

DNA, executions and Stonehenge: a new British Archaeology

Isn’t this a fabulous photo? We have some great images in the new British Archaeology, and we had fun with a series of shots showing a bronze age hoard under excavation. But I particularly like this photo taken by someone at Cotswold Archaeology (if you are reading this, let me know who you are!) which …

What 250 archaeologists found

It was press day for archaeology on the A14 yesterday. I drove up to Brampton to see, getting a feel on the way of why the roads need improving (though signs saying “Delays until 2020” felt like a comment on more than just roads). I’m going to write a bit about this elsewhere one day, …

Stonehenge deserves better than this

You may have noticed that Blick Mead was in the press today. I’m writing a feature rounding up all the recent excavations in and around the world heritage site for a future British Archaeology (you will be astonished at how much there is!), so I thought I’d have a look at the story. Excavation at …

The best of British archaeology

The new British Archaeology is out today, and will be in the shops on Friday. It’s fabulous. I’ll get onto that soon, but first a diversion. With all that’s going on, sometimes I’m tempted to wonder why we should think so hard about the distant past. But no, it matters. It’s who we are, it’s …

A new gallery for London

Quite a day for museums in London today. In Bloomsbury, the Queen went to the British Museum to “reopen” the Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia, after a major refurbishment (she opened the original in 1992). Over in the City, in a counter statement for outstanding philanthropy within the private sector, Michael …

Down with the Roman city at Bloomberg

Bloomberg opened its new European HQ in London this morning. It’s a fabulous, innovative building whose neighbourhood-friendly exterior hides some extraordinary, inspiring spaces – and what must be one of the city’s best office views, of St Paul's Cathedral seen through a giant picture window. Archaeologists will know the construction site as the source of …

Scythians in the new British Archaeology

We put Scythians on the front cover of the new British Archaeology. They look great on the magazine, and they make a really terrific exhibition, a rare display of good old-fashioned archaeology at its jaw-dropping best. The article is written by St John Simpson, the show’s curator. In one of my favourite features of all …