Knaresborough Museum Association celebrates incredible success of archaeology event that's making history

After unveiling a treasure trove of rare artefacts tracing the town’s story from prehistoric days to modern times, Kathy Allday, Chair of organisers Knaresborough Museum Association, said the Community Archaeology Festival was proving more successful than anyone had expected.

"The festival has been a fantastic success already and we still have another weekend to go,” she said.

"We had such a great start with hundreds coming to see the archaeological and historic displays.”

Taking place at at COGS Centre on Gracious Street in Knaresborough, not only did the vast array of local exhibits prove popular, residents brought in their own finds to add to the rich collection of historical finds.

One of the most remarkable exhibits is a chieftan’s hand axe discovered at Hopperton near Knaresborough which is believed to be more than 4,000 years old.

An audio-visual presentation about the archaeology of Nidd Gorge has proven to be a particular draw as it explained the range of fossils and archaeological artefacts that have been found in the area dating back from 350 million years ago up to the last two world wars.

Residents from Boroughbridge Road, Plompton and elsewhere around Knaresborough were amazed to learn that prehistoric man and the Romans had once occupied the land where they now live.

Organisers have been keen to encourage interaction with visitors and engage the interest of families and youngsters.

Five stunning paintings by James McKay depicting a variety of animals and dinosaur type reptiles in ancient times in Knaresborough particularly fascinated children.

The event has been made possible not only by the painstaking research of a large team of local volunteers but by a £10,000 Lottery Heritage Fund grant awarded to KMA earlier in the year.

Community Archaeology Festival will be taking place again on Saturday, November 4 and Sunday, November 5 from 10am to 4.30pm when Molly the Cave-dweller will visit to illustrate what neolithic people

wore and ate 4,000 years ago.