Team AWN

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

  • AWN going to Stone Age Camp at Out of Eden Bill and Mark from the Ancient Wessex Network are going to the Stone Age Camp at Out of Eden somewhere in mid Wales in mid August.From Monday 19th to Thursday 22nd August Bill is leading neolithic pottery appreciation and making sessions, preparing clay, making & decoration pots and firing them in bonfire and turf kiln.The poster and text extract below gives some details. And the Facebook event gives even more https://www.facebook.com/events/2502992416627475/  including a link to the Eventbrite booking system.The location is at SY18 6JR, inland from Aberystwyth.If anyone would like a lift from Dorset, or can offer lifts to other people, please contact us info@ancientwessex.net Contact Out of Eden :-  Kevin ...
    Posted by Bill Crumbleholme
  • Report on Experimental Firing at Ancient Technology Centre Bill Crumbleholme has compiled a report online about his experimental firing at the Ancient Technology Centre in March 2019.For the full story look at the link :- http://www.crumbleholme.plus.com/Beakerfolk/beakerfolk-atc-bbw.htmBlack Burnished Ware replica jars, drying out before firing.The turf kiln alight and heating up nicely.
    Posted 4 Apr 2019, 04:07 by Bill Crumbleholme
  • Event Listing for 2019 updated The Calendar of events page on this website has been updated with the events or 2019.
    Posted 11 Mar 2019, 07:41 by Bill Crumbleholme
  • Event Page Updated for 2018! This website's page sowing the calendar of events has been updated for 2018!
    Posted 18 Mar 2018, 05:32 by Bill Crumbleholme
  • 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
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