BRATTON villagers were treated to a visit from a special guest on Sunday 24th March when Time Team star, Phil Harding, took to the stage at Bratton’s Jubilee Hall to talk about his career in archaeology.
Phil is best known for Channel 4’s popular series, Time Team where, between 1994 and 2014, he appeared alongside fellow archaeologists, Mick Aston and Carenza Lewis, and presenter Tony Robinson. Time Team – with its three-day-dig format – presented archaeology to viewers in an accessible way. It made Phil, with his flint-knapping skills, something of a household name, even inspiring a comic character in The Beano.
A familiar figure in his trademark hat and waistcoat, Phil is a long-serving field officer with Wessex Archaeology and the author of a recent book, Joining the Dots (2022), about Salisbury’s archaeology.
A spokesperson for the Bratton History Association (BHA) which organised the event, said, “As expected, Phil’s talk, Along the Line: My Life in Archaeology, was full of wit, humour, and warmth.
“Phil spoke of how his childhood passion had led him into an apparently precarious career, which in 1971 – much to the disapproval of his mother – saw him taking up his trowel as an itinerant archaeologist moving from dig to dig. At the time, British archaeology was in its infancy, with a mere 200 professional archaeologists in the country. Little had changed when Phil joined Wessex Archaeology at its inception in 1979 and archaeology was still far from the popular academic subject it is today, without its specialist subbranches.
“Although many in the audience were surprised to learn that archaeology had only found its footing as a respected career path in the last 30 years, it was Phil’s self-evident passion for archaeology – a passion which led him even as a child to explain that archaeology was ‘in him’ – which stuck the deepest chord. And his career path seemed to have a universal message: persevere with whatever you love, no matter how uncertain the journey.
“We were thrilled with the large turnout and promise another ‘celebrity’ talk early in 2025.”
A member of the audience remarked, “He’s a very engaging and entertaining speaker and quite modest, despite his fame.”
Another said, “One of the most entertaining speakers you could wish for.”
Hosting speakers like Cat Jarman from the BBC series Digging for Britain, and Richard Osgood from Operation Nightingale, the BHA often attracts large audiences, opening their doors to non-members as well as to members.
Information about the BHA talks, events, and activities can be found on their website http://www.brattonhistory.co.uk/
