We arrange events of archaeological interest for our members, including study days and visits to places of interest. Unless otherwise stated, to book a place please contact Ros Cheetham at . Please also refer to the latest Chairman's monthly newsletter (available via the Newsletter link) for up to date information on forthcoming events.
Tour of West Sussex Record Office, Chichester
led by Vicky Evans, Searchroom Archivist, West Sussex Record Office.
Date: Monday 27th January
Meeting Point: West Sussex Record Office, 3 Orchard Street, Chichester, PO19 1DD
Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours, starting at 11am
Cost £6 Members, £11 Non-members, £2.40 Student Members
The visit includes a tour of the building and a small document display in the Search Room. It’s an opportunity to see behind-the-scenes. Please note it will be mostly standing/walking. There are 6 visitor car parking spaces that can be reserved in advance for a cost of £4.50 per space (covers half a day). There is also a disabled parking space that can be reserved and there is a lift in the building.
To book a place please contact Ros Cheetham at .
Visit to the War Dyke at Whiteways
led by William Foot, a repeat of last November's successful visit.
Date: Tuesday 25th March
Meeting Point: Whiteways Car Park, Bury Hill, Houghton, Arundel, BN18 9FD (café and toilets, free parking)
Duration: 2 hours, starting at 10.30am
Cost: £7.50 Members, £12.50 Non-members, Student Members £3
Visit the War Dyke at Whiteways, one of the South Downs greatest surviving Iron Age earthworks and possibly the least well-known. The site is very overgrown, but we shall be able to admire the colossal earthworks from several vantage points, wondering at their purpose and the labour that went into them. Be prepared for a scramble through undergrowth and trees! We shall also make a tour of the recently identified enclosure (or possible oppidum) that lies south of the War Dyke itself, walking sections of these earthworks too, including the site of an excavation by Cotswold Archaeology in 2016, in which some CDAS members took part. This is a beautiful, wooded landscape of great archaeological significance, little visited by the average walker.
Recommended: walking boots, stick and suitable weather gear.
To book a place please contact Ros Cheetham at .
Tour – The historic building stones of Bosham Church
led by David Bone, recognised local geologist, currently Chair of Sussex Geodiversity Partnership and Chair of the West Sussex Geological Society.
Date: Thursday 10th April
Meeting Point: Meet at the south door of Holy Trinity church, Bosham, SU 8043 0388, nearest postcode PO18 8LY. Use the public car park (pay & display) off Anchor Lane (SU 8065 04000, nearest postcode PO18 8HZ.
Duration: 2 to 2.5 hours, starting at 2pm
Cost £7.50 Members, £12 Non-members, £3 Student Members (includes a donation to the Bosham Church)
In this walk, we will discover the many different types of building stones in the church walls and the stories they tell us from the 1st/2nd C Roman occupation through to the consequences of the construction of the Hayling Island bridge in 1823. For additional interest, we will then drive a short distance to the shore of Chichester Harbour to view an unusual boulder with its origins in Ice Age Britain.
For Chichester Harbour, we meet at the gravelled parking area at the junction of Lower Hone Lane and Smuggler’s Lane, or carefully along the roadside (SU 8010 0222, nearest postcode PO18 8QW – this may be indicated some distance away!). We will take the public footpath to the harbour-side near the Itchenor ferry landing point, then walk along the shore (about 500 m). Return via the same route. This walk may be wet and muddy in places, especially if the tide has been high, so appropriate footwear advisable. No facilities at this stop.
David Bone is a recognised local geologist with over 50 years of experience. With special interest in historic building stones, he has carried out numerous projects, talks and guided walks that link his interest in geology, archaeology, and history.
To book a place please contact Ros Cheetham at .
