The south west of England includes material from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, the Isles of Scilly, Somerset and Wiltshire, and the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, North Somerset, Bournemouth, Poole, Plymouth and Torbay.
One of the best known archaeological sites in the south west is Stonehenge in Wiltshire. The Ashmolean has a collection of artefacts and archives material from this site, including artefacts from the collection of A.D. Passmore and the Hawley excavations of 1921-1928, aerial photographes taken by Major George Allen between 1933 and 1936, a series of watercolours of the site and a miniature model.
The collection of objects from the south west of England contains a variety of objects including the following examples:
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Aerial photograph of Stoneheng and the crossroads taken by Major Allen on 8 September 1937 (Album Ref 10, 48)
One of the most famous objects in the British collecton, the Alfred Jewel was found in Somerset (AN1836p.137.371).
Late Roman glass drinking bowl engraved with a hunting scene and an inscription encouraging the user to "Drink! Live!". Made in Cologne, Germany and found at Wint Hill, Somerset (AN1957.186).
Roman pewter from Bossens, Cornwall which is part of the collection of artefacts from Cornwall given to the museum by Rev. William Borlase in the eighteenth century.
A range of artefacts including beads, pins, knives, brooches and spearheads from the early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Fairford in Gloucestershire.
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Sarah Glover
July 2012