There will be a rare opportunity for time travel back over 6000 years in Studley Royal Park on Wednesday 21 July.
For the first time in recent years, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, a National Trust World Heritage Site near Ripon, is holding an event as part of the Festival of British Archaeology.
“Six thousand years in six thousand seconds” is a free guided tour through the fascinating history of Studley Royal Park, with National Trust Archaeologist Mark Newman. The walk will cover the prehistoric and Roman settlements that predated the medieval village whose earthworks covered so much of the park. It will then go on to look at the Aislabie’s great C18 garden, and the “vanished” Victorian with its pioneering hydro-electric system.
Mark Newman said “It’s great to have the prompt of the Festival of British Archaeology to put on a special and different tour from the ones ordinarily offered to visitors. Just like the rest of the property, there are just so many terrific stories to tell about the park that you just can’t pack them all into a single visit. This tour has plenty new to offer to both the first time visitor and those who know Studley well”.
The tour will begin at the Visitor Centre courtyard at 2pm on Wednesday 21 July.
The tour is free, though normal parking and admission charges apply. National Trust and English Heritage members go free.
National Trust properties are hosting Festival of British Archaeology events right across the country. The festival takes place from July 17 to August 1 and is a nation-wide celebration of our archaeological heritage. Other Yorkshire and North-East properties include Nostell Priory, Nunnington Hall, The Yorkshire Dales, Hadrian’s Wall and the Northumberland Coast. Festival of British Archaeology events are just one strand of the Trust’s “Touching the Past” programme of archaeological events for the public.
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PRESS CONTACT
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: contact Alexa Morton, Visitor Experience and Marketing Manager, Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, Estate Office, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3DY. Tel 01765 643199 Fax 01765 601002 Email alexa.morton@nationaltrust.org.uk
