News Story
We are delighted to reveal that we are embarking on an exciting excavation at Highdown Hill this month. The Highdown Big Dig 2025 will see Worthing Museum join forces with the National Trust Archaeology and Worthing Archaeological Society for this community Big Dig. This project will be part of the Council for British Archaeology’s annual Festival of Archaeology. There will also be lots of free-to-attend tours and workshops during the project, suitable for children and adults. (see Events below)
The Highdown Big Dig 2025 excavations are open to public viewing throughout the project, from Sunday 20th July to Thursday 31st July.
We will be hosting a Big Dig Open Day on Saturday, 26th July, with extra activities. Daily updates will be made on this page and our website.
Highdown Hill is an archaeological site of national importance, with its Bronze Age enclosure, Iron Age hill fort (built on top of the Bronze Age enclosure!) Roman activity, including a bathhouse, and, of course, the nationally significant Anglo-Saxon/Early Medieval cemetery within the ramparts.
Highdown had seen numerous excavations in the past, most notably the poorly executed digging of the 1890s when the cemetery was first revealed, as well as a rescue dig after hurricane damage in 1988. This will be the first Big Dig to take place at Highdown, and the first excavation in nearly 40 years.
We will be investigating multiple features across the hill, including a possible Bronze Age burial mound, Iron Age field systems, Roman activity near the bathhouse and more. By applying this holistic approach to the landscape, we aim to uncover archaeological evidence of human activity at Highdown spanning thousands of years. Visitors will be able to witness live archaeology in action, with trenches and test pits visible to the public from Sunday, 20th July, through to Thursday, 31st July.
We are very grateful to UCL Institute of Archaeology (Archaeology South-East), who will be loaning us their top osteoarchaeologist in case we come across human or animal remains on site.
Later next year, Worthing Museum will host a major exhibition showcasing the results of the Highdown Big Dig. In conjunction with this, we will be hosting a conference at our venue titled The Story of Highdown Hill, inviting speakers from across the country to discuss the multi-period history of this special landmark.
Events
All events take place at the summit of the hill. All events are free - no need to book.
Big Dig Tours
21st - 25th & 27th - 31st July, 1:30pm -2:30pm
Enjoy a tour of the excavation and learn the history of this local landmark.
Roman coins and Saxon brooches Children's Workshop
23rd- 25th & 28th - 30th July, 2pm - 3pm
Children can enjoy making Roman coins and Saxon brooches with our Education Officer.
Big Dig Open Day
Saturday 26th July, 10am - 4pm
Weorod - Living History group will be joining us for the day with demonstrations of Anglo-Saxon life and death throughout the day.
Tours (meeting at Highdown Gardens car park) 10:30-11:30pm, 12-1pm & 2pm-3pm
Young adult workshop - make a willow weaving heritage tension tray, 11am - 1pm
Children’s workshop - make Roman coins and Saxon brooches, 2pm - 4pm
Bug Hunt with National Park Ranger Team - 10:30am - 3pm
Flint Knapping demonstrations - 10:30am - 3:30pm
Accessibility
Free parking at Highdown Gardens. Toilets at Highdown Gardens. It is a fifteen-minute walk from Goring-by-Sea train station, along the path adjacent to the A259. There are no gates on the hill, so wheelchair access is possible; however, there are roots in certain areas that could make it challenging at times.
