The second piece is a part 2 to the previous post, kindly written by Front of house volunteer Alexander Ogilvie-Graham. Focusing again on uncovering the hidden, Alexander writes about his fascination with discovering snippets of the past through physical objects.
A foreshore walk with Alice Marsh and Alexis Haslam.
It was an unprecedented adventure in which we were sucked into the history of the foreshore.
There shall be no larking about in the article.
I have a keen interest in the Neolithic period, between 4,000 to 2.200 BC. I was hoping to find gold diamonds and rubies on my first foreshore walk; instead, I discovered bone. I had bitten off more than I could chew. Alexis explained that there had been a slaughterhouse here once upon a time and that’s how I had stumbled upon a cow spine.
To quote Bart Simpson: don’t have a cow, man.
My favourite object is a struck Neolithic flint from the early Neolithic period around 6.000 years ago. It struck me at first glance when I rediscovered its beauty when I was volunteering in the museum this summer.
Here I am with my fantastic Team leader and Archaeologist learning the skills of the trade.
I met the wonderful archaeologist John Cotten, who is beyond legend. I admired his knowledge and learning and learnt fun facts via this expert. I had my first Archeology magazine via John.
Here I am with my wonderful carer, learning about medieval mosaics.
I hope next year to do some digging and more archaeology, Covid permitting.
Overall, it was the highlight of a depressing year. It was for me a stepping stone. The next stage is to discover a Crystal skull along the foreshore. The end is only the beginning!