I’d like to tell you a story about life in Bognor in 680 AD (almost a millennium and a half ago - 1,345 years to be precise).

So the story is in 4 parts,

Now, we are going to try to get into the minds of the Saxons, to give you an idea of what they were really like.

First, I’ll describe who the Saxons were, what they did, where they lived, how they lived and how long they prevailed.

Second, I’ll suggest, as far as I can, what they saw, what they heard, felt, smelled and tasted.  

Of course, we cannot know for sure, but we can make educated guesses from a number of sources.

Third, I’ll give you a sense of  their priorities; their fears and worries, their health, their interactions, their customs and their values.

Fourth, we’ll have a chance to compare and contrast the Anglo Saxon culture with our own, to see if we can learn anything valuable that we may have lost over the centuries.

Now, I should say that I am a passionate amateur and my knowledge is limited to what I know and what I have learned.  But I love the subject so the learning comes easy and I hope you find it as fascinating as I do.

So, please bear in mind that some of the information and images are the product of artistic license - with the best possible taste.

I welcome hecklers and questions as we go, but I would like to cover the 4 sections at least briefly, by 3-3.30pm, in time for more questions and discussions afterwards.

Now, would anyone like to start with a rude Anglo Saxon joke?