From Iron to Empire: Stanwick Lakes heritage talks reveal the stories beneath Northamptonshire’s landscape

Stanwick Lakes is hosting an exciting series of expert-led heritage talks on major historical events based on discoveries in the local area. The talks, hosted by Professor Stephen Upex and Dr Michael J Curtis, will bring Roman and Bronze Age history to life.

As part of Stanwick Lakes’ From Iron to Empire project, the monthly talks will explore the importance of archaeological finds, and how they help historians understand Britain’s past. Spanning the Bronze Age through to the Roman period, topics will include ceremonial landscapes, the Roman invasion of AD 43, the Roman conquest, and what life would have been like in the Roman countryside. The talks will give history enthusiasts an opportunity to understand the area’s rich history and to discover the incredible archaeological heritage of the Nene Valley.

On September 3, ‘Bronze Age Burials and Ceremonial Landscape’, Professor Stephen Upex will look at the Bronze Age and will talk about how the British landscape shows how people lived, farmed and worshipped. Upex will also present ‘The Roman Invasion of AD 43 and the Conquest of Britain’ on October 8. This thought-provoking talk will explore what Roman forts were really like, how invasions unfolded, who the troops were, and how the military operated.

On November 3, the topic ‘Understanding Roman Northamptonshire’ is led by Dr Michael J Curtis. He will be looking at archaeological discoveries found across the local region and will show how Northamptonshire was transformed following the Roman conquest. Descriptions of thriving settlements, prosperous villas and networks of roads will bring to life nearly four centuries of Roman occupation.

The final talk will be held on December 1, ‘Northamptonshire Villas and Life in the Countryside’. Dr Michael J Curtis will explore Northamptonshire’s countryside through evidence revealed by Roman archaeological discoveries. He looks at Roman villas and modest farmsteads and reflects on who lived and worked within them.

Collectively, the talks will demonstrate the importance of Stanwick Lakes in preserving and revealing the area’s archaeological heritage. The site shows evidence of human activity spanning more than 5,000 years! In the 1980s archaeological excavations at the site recovered remarkable remains, including Neolithic barrows, Bronze Age burial mounds, Iron Age roundhouses, a substantial Roman villa, and Saxon, Norman, and medieval settlements. Beginning this autumn, the talks will bring to life the history of the Nene Valley, a landscape that has been home to communities for thousands of years.   

The Heritage Talks have been made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

3 September, 2:00pm-3:00pm, Professor Stephen Upex, ‘Bronze Age Burials and Ceremonial Landscape’.

8 October, 2:00pm-3:00pm, Professor Stephen Upex, ‘The Roman Invasion of AD 43 and the Conquest of Britain’.

3 November, 2:00pm–3:00pm, Dr Michael J Curtis, ‘Understanding Roman Northamptonshire’.

1 December, 2:00pm–3:00pm, Dr Michael J Curtis, ‘Northamptonshire Villas and Life in the Countryside’.

For further information about the events or to book, please visit their website: www.stanwicklakes.org.uk