Who Are We?


Ancient Wessex Network is a Community Interest Company (so it's legal and eveything!) based in South Dorset, England. Members undertake activities using experimental archaeology methods to research ancient technologies. They demonstrate these skills at events and also produce artefacts inspired by and as copies of the original items.

What do we do?


Ancient Wessex Network members cover a range of skills, including pottery, metal working, flint & stone working, sculpture, jewellery making, textiles, food and construction techniques. More details are given in other parts of this website

The "ancient" in the title covers Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Saxon and Viking times.

The "Wessex" in the title is a geographical area in Southern Britain, with moveable boundaries, depending on the source! Thomas Hardy's Wessex is different from King Alfred's Wessex - but we can cover them all! We live in South Dorset, but are active over a wider area, even visiting Wales!

As well as this website (which is new in 2016 - the previous website has been closed down, although it might still appear on Google searches!), we appear on Facebook at this link :-
www.facebook.com/ancientwessexnetwork  that often features information about our activities and albums of photographs of us in action at events.


Recent Announcements

  • Pottery Making in August 2017 for Families in Wiltshire There is a free opportunity for families in Wiltshire to try making pots and metal casting with Bill Crumbleholme in August 2017. Details on the poster and booking via this link www.bit.ly/FamilyPotteryExperience
    Posted 29 Jul 2017, 03:04 by Bill Crumbleholme
  • Bronze Casting Workshop in Dorchester 24th February 2017 (Friday) Bronze Casting Workshop at Dorset Centre for Creative Arts, Poundbury, Mark and Bill showing booked in members of the public how to cast bronze in various ways. http://dorsetcreativeartclasses.co.uk/classes/bronze-casting-masterclass-with-mark-vyvyan-penney-daytime-course
    Posted 29 Jan 2017, 12:51 by Bill Crumbleholme
  • Ancient Wessex European Tour August 2016 The key members of the network are heading into Europe in August, visiting various Open Air Museums and ending up at a bronze casting meeting in Germany, details at this link :-www.afm-oerlinghausen.de/veranstaltungen/uebersicht/37-bronze-forumWatch out for posting on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/ancientwessexnetwork
    Posted 1 Aug 2016, 08:36 by Bill Crumbleholme
  • Prehistoric Weekend at the Ancient Technology Centre Cranborne https://www.facebook.com/226306844122069/photos/a.251814194904667.62471.226306844122069/966659596753453/?type=3
    Posted 3 Mar 2016, 06:41 by Mark A Vyvyan-Penney
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