News

Home of Hillforts and Henges

June 22, 2022

Home of the Hillforts and Henges

Home of Hillforts and Henges is an exciting new event from 21st to 31st July that will celebrate Dorchester’s neolithic and iron age landscape, rich in earthworks and the people that have lived here for over 6,000 years.

The event is part of the National CBA Festival of Archaeology 2022 and activities will take place at multiple locations across the town. It will launch at Dorset Museum with a special open evening and a talk on the Ridgeway Vikings. An action-packed programme will include a series of lectures at Dorset Museum and a new archaeological dig at National Trust’s Max Gate with Meet the Archaeologist sessions. There will be guided walks over the landscape (including Maiden Castle), antiquities handling and family crafts at Dorset Museum at weekends.

The event concludes with an epic day of discovery and fun at Maumbury Rings with Hengefest on Sunday, 31st July where there will be animal handling, bushcraft, storytelling, nature crafts, music, performers and other activities that celebrate the sacred history of the space and its vibrant history.

The open countryside around Dorchester contains many ancient scheduled monuments and falls within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (DAONB).  As well as demonstrating pride in our ancient heritage, Home of Hillforts & Henges aims to promote wellbeing and good mental health through appreciation and enjoyment of local nature.

Dorchester Town Council Tourism Development Officer, Matilda Manley, said: “Dorchester is a very special place, not many towns can boast two iron age hillforts and three neolithic henges! These are fantastic features of our town that we should be celebrating, and it is great that we are now doing that. Maiden Castle is one of the biggest hillforts in Europe! Maumbury Rings has such an amazing history, starting as a sacred henge and then being adopted by Romans for use as an amphitheatre. It is a great space that is still used and loved. It is brilliant to be celebrating its history and importance to the town today”

With grateful thanks to our headline sponsors, Kingston Maurward and Dorchester Town Council.

Festival of Archaeology 2022

Special Display

4 August – 29 December 2023

The Askerswell Hoard

Discover a rare Roman coin hoard recently acquired by Dorset Museum, and find out about the work going on to preserve, research and catalogue it, in this special showcase display outside the Collections Discovery Centre.

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Community Exhibition

2 December 2023 - 21 April 2024

Awakened by Frink

Awakened by Frink is a community exhibition of artwork by members of the Deaf community created during a series of workshops at Dorset Museum and Art Gallery.

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Special Exhibition

2 December 2023 - 21 April 2024

Elisabeth Frink: A View from Within

Experience the inner world of famous sculptor Dame Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993) in a major new exhibition exploring her artistic and personal life in Dorset. Showcasing over 80  sculptures, drawings and prints, this exhibition will explore her artistic process, personal life, and the influences that shaped her work.

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Family Activity

10 December 2023, 11:30am - 12:30pm | 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Elf Workshop

The Elves need your help in the workshop. Join them and lend a hand! You're invited to embark on a magical journey filled with Christmas crafts, fun activities, and the chance to learn all the secrets of the elves

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Storytelling

14 December 2023, 10:00am- 10:30am

Storytime at the Museum

Come and join us for Storytime in our Community Space at the Museum. Hear fabulous tales about dinosaurs and animals.

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Lecture

14 December 2023, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

What’s new in the British and Irish Neolithic? | Dr Alison Sheridan

While the past doesn’t change, our knowledge and understanding of it are being transformed by new discoveries and new research – and this is especially the case with the Neolithic period, the time of the first farming communities from the late 5th millennium to around 2500 BCE. This lecture offers some highlights from the past decade or so.

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Family Activity

17 December 2023, 11:30am - 12:30pm | 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Elf Workshop

The Elves need your help in the workshop. Join them and lend a hand! You're invited to embark on a magical journey filled with Christmas crafts, fun activities, and the chance to learn all the secrets of the elves

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Tours

20 December 2023, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Collections Discovery Centre Tour

Join our Collections Team for an opportunity to explore behind the scenes in the Museum’s Collections Discovery Centre.

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Family Activity

21 December 2023, 11:30am - 12:30pm | 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Elf Workshop

The Elves need your help in the workshop. Join them and lend a hand! You're invited to embark on a magical journey filled with Christmas crafts, fun activities, and the chance to learn all the secrets of the elves

Find out more