Hello everyone, Alex Iles here, and welcome to the Mailman Heritage Trail in beautiful Northumberland! Today, we’re diving deep into the fascinating world of henges, standing stones, and stone circles, exploring their significance in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. A Shift in Time: The Arrival of New Cultures As we’ve discussed before, Britain experienced a...Read More

Hello, my name is Alex Iles, and welcome to the stunning College Valley, part of Northumberland National Park. Today, we’re diving into the fascinating world of Neolithic farming—how it began, how it transformed Britain, and how it shaped the landscape we see today. This is a continuation of our neolthic blog series. The Arrival of...Read More

Hello, my name is Alex Iles, and today we’re diving into the fascinating history of the Neolithic people, continuing on from the last blog. I’m here at Lordenshaws Neolithic Rock Art site in Northumberland National Park, just next to Rothbury—a place rich with history and a direct connection to the distant past. Understanding the Neolithic...Read More

Hello, my name is Alex Iles, and welcome to Ingram Valley in Northumberland National Park. In today’s episode, we’re exploring the Neolithic period—one of the most significant turning points in human history. What Was the Neolithic Period? The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, began in the British Isles around 4000 BC—roughly 6,000 years ago....Read More

Hello, my name is Alex Iles, and welcome to Howick on the stunning Northumberland coast. Today, we’re diving into one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in prehistoric Europe—the Storegga Slide. What Was the Storegga Slide? The Storegga Slide was a massive undersea landslide that occurred around 6175 BC (give or take 25 years). This...Read More

In this blog, I welcome you to Howick on the Northumberland coast here in the North East of England. This is where one of the oldest buildings in the British Isles is located. It’s been dated to 7700 BC – almost 10,000 years old. The Discovery of Howick House The building itself was occupied for...Read More

For this blog, I’m in Howick on the beautiful Northumberland coast! We’re looking into the world of Mesolithic Britain, exploring the lives of the early hunter-gatherers who called these islands home. And we can’t talk about Mesolithic Britain without mentioning a famous figure from this era – Cheddar Man! Who was Cheddar Man? Cheddar Man...Read More

For this blog I’m in Howick on the stunning Northumberland coast! Today, I’m taking you on a journey back to Mesolithic Britain. We’ll be walking through this area of outstanding natural beauty and exploring what life was like during the Mesolithic period – the time right after the Ice Age when the first hunter-gatherers returned...Read More

In this blog I’m on the Northumberland coast at Howick. I’m excited to introduce you to the Mesolithic period, a fascinating era of prehistory that marks the transition from the Old Stone Age and the gradual warming of the Earth after the last Ice Age. I’ll be giving you an overview of this important period,...Read More

In this blog we’re diving into the fascinating, yet little-known story of Maia, the second-largest Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall. Located at the far western edge of the wall, Maia once stood as a critical defensive outpost for the Roman Empire. A strategic stronghold Maia was likely manned by a mixed unit of 800 infantrymen...Read More