Archaeology
Above : The iconic Stonehenge
Below : Trace of Roman Road on south Dorset Ridgeway. (Photo Bill Putnam) 
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For our normal speaker meetings, we meet at the Community Church Hall in Poundbury. The postcode is DT1 3DF. It is on the corner of Peverell Avenue East and Liscombe Street adjacent to Damers First School.
No 6 & 10 Buses from Dorchester stop nearby on Peverell Avenue East. There is plenty of parking on the street. Please do not park in front of the entrance - the area is not a carpark (although it looks like one !). Click here for a map it will open in a new tab or window (At the moment streetmap have not completed mapping Poundbury) Meetings start at 2pm normally on the 4th Monday of the month. However, with other outside visits and venues, times may be arranged to suit (see the programme below). At Poundbury, tea/coffee and biscuits are available for a small donation to the CCH funds To see the full Dorchester U3A Timetable click the button.
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Above : Roman Town House, Dorchester
Below : Lidar image of Frampton Roman Villa 
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Programme for 2025
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Next Year 2025 dates - some have been moved because of Bank Holidays
24 Feb, 24 Mar, 28 April, 3 June, 23 June, 28 Jul, 22 Sept, 27 Oct, 24 Nov, At our March meeting Andrea Frankham Hughes from Bournemouth University gave an excellent and very well attended talk on 'Life and death on the edge’: investigating the people of the Isle of Portland at the end of the Iron Age through the first modern assessment of the burial record'. 28th April 2025 A speaker meeting at the Poundbury Community Hall starting at 2pm. Bill Crumbleholme, potter. (guess who's brother) Bill has been making replicas of prehistoric pots for almost 30 years. He works to promote understanding of the methods and styles of pottery from the Neolithic until post Roman times. He has recently achieved some fame appearing earlier this year on "Digging for Britain" , building a replica kiln and firing pots in it. There will be an opportunity to handle and purchase examples of his work. Our next meeting : 2nd June 2025. (26/5/25 is a bank holiday) A trip to Hengistbury Head near Christchurch - another chance to visit their superb visitor centre and to walk around the site this time without the heavy rainfall ! We plan to arrive just before noon and then have lunch in the cafe adjoining the car park. The best satnav postcode to use is BN6 4EN. The site is just under 40 miles from Dorchester and should take about an hour either travelling through Bournemouth or via Wimborne and Hurn airport to Christchurch. There is a charge for car parking and the centre is a few minutes walk from the car park. We plan to start at the visitor centre at 2pm for a short introduction before visiting other areas close by on the site. There are also some reasonably long walks around the headland for those who wish to explore further afield. Here's a link to the site's website https://www.visithengistburyhead.co.uk/Visitor-Information/Getting-here.aspx 23rd June 2025 A speaker meeting at the Poundbury Community Hall starting at 2pm. Carole Reeves (Hon Associate Professor at University College, London) will give an illustrated talk on Giants, Kings & Vampires - what bones can tell us about health, disease and culture. 21st July 2025 A trip to Glastonbury tribunal Museum and area. More details to follow August - No meeting. 22nd September 2025 A speaker meeting at the Poundbury Community Hall starting at 2pm. Michael Insley will give an illustrated talk on The Archaeology of Homer - how archaeology sheds light on the creation of Europe's oldest Epic Poem, the Iliad' 27th October 2025 A speaker meeting at the Poundbury Community Hall starting at 2pm. Kate Verkooijen will give an illustrated talk on Amber in the Bronze Age 24th November 2025 A speaker meeting at the Poundbury Community Hall starting at 2pm. Ann Teather will give an illustrated talk on Stone Circles of Dorset December - No meeting. Some ideas for the future in the planning stage by the steering committee are shown to the right > The Steering Committee : Annie Atherton; Barbara O'Farrell; Michael Insley & Richard Crumbleholme |
The visits & talks below are some that are being planned :
The Durotriges Project -
Miles Russell (Bmth Univ) Ann Teather - Stones Circles Trip to Avebury Trip to Poole Museum Any members suggestions are very welcome ! |
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New members and other ideas are always welcome
– no previous knowledge is necessary For more information on our programme please call Annie or Michael (For number please see Newsletter) Updated by Richard Crumbleholme 25/03/2025
Photos / Lidar images have been taken by members of the group |
Lidar image of part of the Dorchester Roman aqueduct
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