Community celebrates Alconbury Weald’s fascinating past in style
- 12.08.2024
Midday to 5pm on Saturday, 7 September 2024 at The Club and Watch Office Green
This year’s Heritage Open Day promises a fun-packed day with historic artefacts, talks and tours on Alconbury Weald’s fascinating past running alongside stalls, foods trucks, lawn games and live music. Whether you're a history buff or just looking for a chilled-out afternoon with friends and family, there's something for everyone to enjoy.
Taking place from midday to 5pm on Saturday, 7 September 2024, residents and visitors have a unique opportunity to discover more about Alconbury Weald’s heritage - which stretches from Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement, through Roman occupation and Medieval times to its more recent military past – from the archaeologists involved with recent excavations.
Pre-booked tours around the Avionics Building – the unique Cold War military bunker, which was designed to survive chemical and biological attack - will also be taking place throughout the day. Built to process intelligence data collected by the TR1 reconnaissance aircraft, the Grade II building was completed in 1989 and is one of the UK’s most sophisticated buildings of its kind, providing a rare insight into the area’s strategic significance during these tense times.
In addition to historical highlights, the Fun Day on Watch Office Green – organised by Alconbury Weald Community Association – will include over 20 stalls with local crafts, goods and treats to browse, culinary delights from a variety of food trucks and refreshing drinks from the mobile bar. The event will also feature lawn games for some family fun in the sun.
As you soak up the atmosphere, enjoy live music from Alconbury Weald’s resident band, The Weald Thing, who will be performing an eclectic mix of hits. Their performance promises to be the perfect soundtrack to a day filled with discovery, fun and community spirit.
Visitors can also explore the stunning show homes and find out about the wide range of apartments and houses available for those looking to join Alconbury Weald’s thriving community. Chat with the housebuilders’ sales team to find out about the incentives available. Tenure options including renting, shared ownership and rent to buy.
“Our Heritage Open Days are a great way for residents, local communities and visitors from further afield to find out about some of the site’s historic features and how they are being incorporated into the future designs for Alconbury Weald. The military legacy we inherited is helping shape the design of the development, with runways and taxiways being transformed into linear park areas and key features being kept, as well as listed buildings. These will come together in the future Heritage Area along with the rich medieval history of Prestley Wood and stories we are starting to uncover from the archaeological finds of people living and working here through the centuries.”
To find out more about Alconbury Weald’s fascinating heritage, visit https://www.alconbury-weald.co.uk/about/heritage/