Residents of Kingsholm will be given the chance to find out more about the history and archaeology of their area with the launch of an exciting project.  

'History on Your Doorstep,' is being run by the Archaeology team at Gloucestershire County Council and is funded through a grant of £40,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The launch of the project marks the beginning of a series of events which will take place in the Kingsholm area throughout the year. Residents of Kingsholm will be able to drop-in to the launch event at any time on 28th January for more information on the project and to find out how they can get involved

At the launch, people will be able to:

• Bring along anything they have found in their gardens such as old pieces of pottery or metalwork to be identified – they may turn out to be thousands of years old;
• listen to a short introduction to the project;
• find out more about the county Historic Environment Record – what is it and how will it help;
• get up close to exhibits from Gloucester Museum, and;
• find out how they can become more involved in the History on Your Doorstep project.

The Kingsholm area of Gloucester was the site of the first Roman military fort and the location of an important Anglo-Saxon royal palace. Later it became the area of large Victorian red brick villas and terraced houses you see today.

The Archaeology team, with the help of local residents, would eventually like to carry out a geophysical survey in the area and excavation of around 20 test pits, to see what they can find.

Anna Morris, Gloucestershire County Council's Archaeology Service, said: "We're really hoping that this project will inspire the Kingsholm community to find out more about the history that is under their feet.

"This is a great opportunity for people to get involved in local archaeology."

Councillor Chas Fellows, cabinet member for economy and environment, said: "The launch of the History on Your Doorstep project will give residents of Kingsholm an ideal opportunity to find out so much more about its past.

"We are giving them a great chance to get involved in this exciting project and I hope that all members of the community, young and old, take the opportunity to get involved in it."

Commenting on HLF's support for the project, Acting Head of South West, Richard Bellamy, said: "One of our main aims is to enable more people to become involved in a practical sense with their heritage.

"Projects like 'History on Your Doorstep', originating from within the local community, provide ideal opportunities for volunteers to really engage with their past, making discoveries that will help to bring the history of the area to life."

The project will conclude with an exhibition of the findings, held at Gloucester City Museum during the summer of 2013.

Councillor Jeremy Hilton, local member, said: "This is an exciting project for Kingsholm and we know that it was the site of the first Roman military fort.

"Part of the study is to carry out a number of digs in Kingsholm to allow us to find out more about the site and hopefully find the location of the Anglo Saxon Palace.

"I have been involved in the discussions relating to this project and I think it's a really exciting opportunity for local residents to get involved and find out more about the history of Gloucester."

Councillor Pam Tracey, local member, said: "We are sitting on a lot of history here in Gloucester and this project is a great way to get the residents of Kingsholm involved.

"There is a lot of enthusiasm for this project and I hope that people will turn out to the launch to find out more about it.

"It is great that Archaeology officers at the county council have a lot of knowledge about the history of our wonderful city."