Record number of enquiries received for Northamptonshire archaeological summer programme after TV appearance
24th Jan 2025
A record number of enquiries have been received since a Northamptonshire heritage site featured on prime-time television.
The Chester House Estate hit the screens earlier in January when Professor Alice Roberts, presenter of BBC Two’s Digging for Britain, explored the Irchester-based Roman town site, speaking to archaeologists and volunteers and uncovering rare finds from excavation last summer. The full series is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Now the Chester House Estate, which runs the Irchester Field School learning programme in partnership with Northamptonshire’s Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC) and University of Leicester, is urging schools to get in touch to book the last remaining spots for students to get involved.
Cllr Helen Howell, North Northamptonshire Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said:
“The Irchester Field School programme is a unique opportunity for schools and students to engage with highly experienced archaeological researchers through excavation tours, osteology workshops, finds washing and pottery and lab sessions. Students get a hands-on approach with archaeology and learn from top experts about the importance of preserving local history.
“Even before the Digging for Britain episode aired, our Field School programme had already booked over half of the available spaces. Now being featured on one of the country’s most loved archaeological programmes, enquiries from schools are booming.
“We are absolutely delighted with the response; this certainly helps to put Chester House Estate on the map and highlight the incredible archeological history we have here in North Northamptonshire!”
Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council, added:
“It was great to see North Northamptonshire on the national stage and the Chester House Estate receiving the attention it rightly deserves. The appearance on prime-time TV comes hot on the heels of a national accolade for the Irchester Field school - it really has been a great few months for the team and all the attention is well-deserved.”
The Irchester Field School programme scooped the Learning, Training and Skills award at the national Archaeological Achievement Awards just a few weeks before the BBC episode previewed, with judges describing the project as ‘inspiring and empowering’ after ‘touching the lives of so many different people, from students to volunteers to professionals’.
The programme runs for four weeks from Monday 16 June to Friday 4 July, with more than 2000 students engaging last year. Enquiries for schools remain open, but the Estate team are urging people to be quick to book to avoid missing out as spaces are limited.
