History comes to life

The title of the conference is Medieval Ports, Ships and Sailors.

It takes place at the New Hall on Sunday April 26 from 10am - 3.45pm and has been arranged by Winchelsea Archaeological Society in conjunction with the University of Southampton.

There will be a number of talks on various subjects.

Professor David Hinton will talk on Port Development in Post-Roman England while Thomas Dhoop will talk specifically on The Medieval Harbour of Winchelsea.

Dr Julian Whitewright will speak on Sailors and Navigators on the English Channel and Dr Joe Flatman will be offering the perspective of English Heritage.

Other speakers include Dr Fraser Sturt on The Sea in Medieval Seafaring - an Environmental Study, and professor Jonathan Adams, who will be considering shipwrecks.

The conference will include a short tour of Winchelsea. There will also be a visit to the cellars under Blackfriars Barn to view the medieval ship graffiti.

The original port town of Winchelsea, at the bottom of the hill, was destroyed by a storm.

It is recorded that hops, when introduced to this country, were first landed at Winchelsea by a Dutch merchant ship.

Winchelsea Archaeological Society was set up in 1999 by residents, with the encouragement of the East Sussex County Archaeologist, to undertake a comprehensive geophysical survey of the buried remains of medieval Winchelsea and has carried out a number of important surveys.

To attend the conference costs £20 to non members of the Archaeological Society, £15 for members and £10 for students. To book, and for more information, email [email protected] or call 01797 224446.