Celebration of heritage and community at Alconbury Weald

Residents, family, friends and visitors flocked to Alconbury Weald on the first Saturday in September to discover more about the development’s fascinating past and enjoy a community celebration with stalls, food trucks, lawn games and live music.

Alconbury Weald’s history stretches back through the millennia and this year’s exhibition focused on the Iron Age and Roman periods, with artefacts on display from the most recent excavations on site. A highlight of the day was a talk from archaeologist Christopher Thatcher, who was involved with the dig featured in an episode of BBC’s Digging for Britain earlier this year.  Relatively little is known about the later Roman period, during the fall of the Roman Empire and the start of the Dark Ages, but recent finds at Alconbury Weald are providing a rare insight into society during this turbulent time in Britain’s history.

People interested in Alconbury Weald’s more recent military history enjoyed a presentation on the former airfield from the Airfield Research Group. A vintage Dews’ bus also took visitors for a guided tour of the Avionics building, the Cold War military bunker that played a key role gathering intelligence from the TR1 reconnaissance aircraft.

In parallel, Alconbury Weald’s Community Association organised a family fun day with a range of stalls selling gifts, flowers, dog treats, cakes, bakes and snacks, as well as food trucks offering a range of culinary delights to tempt the taste buds. A range of family-friendly entertainment was also available throughout the day, including face painting, lawn games, a silent disco and an eclectic mix of hits from Alconbury Weald’s resident band.

Representatives from the Military Police and Magpas Air Ambulance also attended to meet the community and explain more about their vital roles and responsibilities.