Television archaeologist, Julian Richards, will be joining the lineup in a host of history events at Westbury Festival.
Julian, whose work includes the popular Meet The Ancestors programme, lent his expertise on the restoration of Westbury’s Quaker burial ground and will be talking about this remarkable community project at a special presentation on Tuesday 1st October at the Methodist Church in Station Road.
He will be joined by local historian Sally Hendry, who will be talking about the history of the burial ground and of the Matravers family who were leading Quakers in Westbury – many members of the family were buried in this graveyard.
The restoration of the long abandoned burial ground was led by the youth group Leos and involved many members of the community, both individuals and groups. The talk is just one of a plethora of treats for history enthusiasts in this year’s festival.
Working with the town’s heritage society, the festival offers everything from a talk on stained glass in Wiltshire churches, a three-mile-long heritage walk around the town, the opportunity to learn more about the history of Westbury Leigh or simply enjoy a display of historic photographs in the comfort of the Hollies pub.
The heritage walk on 25th September starts at 2pm from the heritage centre in the High Street. Led by local historian Liz Argent, the walk will take us around the town’s many historic sites including the former workhouse in Eden Vale through to the cemetery on Bratton Road. The three and half mile walk will be followed by refreshment back at the centre.
For more information about all of these events please visit www.westbury festival.org.uk
