Flag Fen Archaeological Park

What will students see and do?

One of Peterborough Museum’s educational prehistoric locales, Flag Fen Archaeological Park is a Bronze Age site developed about 3,500 years ago.

Visiting students can soak up the atmosphere and imagine what life was like thousands of years ago in the Bronze Age and Iron Age roundhouses, and relax and enjoy the scents and colours of the plants in the recreated Roman herb garden. There is even an ancient breed of sheep kept on the land called the Soay, which naturally shed their own wool.

Flag Fen is the only place in the UK where original Bronze Age remains are being actively conserved and can be seen in situ. Visitors can wander through the ancient village, sit within the reconstructed roundhouses and stand where their ancestors once stood.

That’s not all, though – excavations on the site have revealed details of a mysterious wooden platform and post alignment that stretch for nearly a kilometre across the fen.

It is believed that the post alignment consists of 60,000 vertical timber and 250,000 horizontal pieces of wood, spanning the wet and marshy fen to meet a droveway on dry ground at each end.

People gave many thousands of hours to build this structure, but it’s not confirmed what it was for – could it have been a boundary protecting the valuable resources of the fen? A bridge to drive cattle across the fen? No doubt your junior investigators will love to theorise.

Some ancient objects have been recovered from the watery fen, including weapons, jewellery and even England’s oldest wheel. It is believed that many of these were placed into the waters as ritual offerings to the gods or spirits.

The site is also home to an abundance of wildlife owing to the variety of habitats, which includes extensive grassland, traditionally managed hedgerows and woodland, and a freshwater lake.

How does the trip link to the curriculum?

Throughout the academic year, Peterborough Museum runs a varied history programme for schools that includes tours of its prehistoric sites. This award-winning programme enables school-aged groups to learn about the past, offering immersive experiences which cannot be replicated in the classroom.

Flag Fen is included in this programme, so schools can visit the open-air archaeology park and educational visitor centre to get a real feel for how the prehistoric people of the fen lived.

If that’s not enough, pupils can take part in learning experiences, led by knowledgeable staff, exploring prehistoric life and building a Roman empire, learning how to become an archaeologist in an indoor simulated archaeological dig tent, and plenty more.

Get in touch to discuss the raft of fun and educational activities that Peterborough Museum can provide for pupils.

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