Wessex Society

21/10/2026

It’s Alfred Day on Monday, commemorating King Alfred’s death on 26 October 899, and celebrating all things Alfred.

AlfredFest in Wantage will be underway this weekend, and Wessex Society will also be taking part in Hyde900‘s event on Saturday in Wi******er to mark the occasion.

In advance of the day, we’ve put together a quiz for Wessex Society members and anyone interested to test their knowledge or learn a bit more about the Great king.

As for our event, we’ll be attending a talk by Hyde900 who look after Alfred’s supposed resting place. It’s on Saturday 24 October from 6.30 pm. Find out more at https://www.hyde900.org.uk/events/upcoming-events.

Take the Wessex Society’s ten-question quiz — then discover Hyde900’s King Alfred Lecture, 24 October 2026.

12/10/2026

🔔 It’s Pack Monday in Sherborne!

Today, the Dorset town celebrates one of its oldest traditions, with streets full of market stalls, music and festivities.

The fair is traditionally heralded at midnight by “Teddy Roe’s Band”, whose members parade through the town banging pots and pans, blowing horns and making as much noise as possible!

According to local legend, the custom dates back to workmen celebrating the completion of Sherborne Abbey’s nave in the fifteenth century. Its origins are uncertain, however, and the fair may instead have developed from the old Michaelmas hiring fairs.

A wonderful example of Wessex’s living traditions!

🔗 Read more about the fair’s fascinating history, including Teddy Roe’s Band ⬇️

The true origins of the fair are lost in the mists of time but according to one local tradition, the fair and its noisy announcement originated at the...

02/10/2026

🚶 Wessex on foot — join Amesbury Walkers on the inaugural yearly European IVV Walking Day

Another example of the Wessex name in modern regional life comes from Amesbury Walkers, whose Wessex Series of 5 km and 10 km walks continues this month at Seend, near Devizes.

The next walk will take place on Sunday 18 October, setting off from Seend Village Hall at 9 am. Both 5 km and 10 km routes will be available, with a £1 entry fee going to the club, whose members have set up more than 20 Permanent Trails across Wessex, helping people explore the region’s footpaths, countryside and historic places throughout the year.

The walk is also one of the British events taking part in the first European IVV Walking Day, a new programme of non-competitive walks across Europe. Originally planned for 11 October, the Wessex Series walk has been moved to 18 October, bringing it within the programme.

Full details below ⬇️

This event was originally planned for 11th October 2026 but will now take place on 18th October 2026 and is a qualifying event for the 1st European IVV Walking Day 2026

01/10/2026

AlfredFest returns...

28/09/2026

📅 Malmesbury Wessex Week has now unveiled its programme for 10-18 October. The event will feature talks from historians and a local poet, as well as a guided walk exploring the history of the town. The week will be rounded off in the Abbey with a dedicated choral evensong on the 18th 👇

8 events found. Events Views Navigation Event Views Navigation List List Month Today Upcoming Upcoming Select date. October 2026 Sat 10 Arthur – A New Life with Amy Jeffs October 10 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Malmesbury Town Hall Town Hall, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom In conversation with Amy J...

22/09/2026

🌾 An old Wessex skill is being put to a new use on the Somerset Levels.

At Muchelney Abbey, founded around 700 by King Ine of Wessex, volunteers are once again cutting the meadow by hand with traditional scythes — this time to help protect the shrill carder bee, one of Britain’s rarest bumblebees. 🐝

The bee usually nests on or just below the ground amongst thick vegetation, so mechanical mowing can pose a danger. The scything thus forms part of a three-year project with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to improve its habitat and monitor how the meadow and its wildlife respond.

Scything was once a familiar part of the Wessex landscape. Thomas Hardy repeatedly drew on the sight and rhythm of it in his novels and poetry, depicting the people of his literary Wessex mowing and haymaking by hand.

What’s more, as part of the scheme, English Heritage is giving a nod to the old travelling scythers: today’s volunteers receive the traditional bread and cheese — c***r was apparently ruled out on health-and-safety grounds though!

Muchelney’s own story spans much of Wessex history. After the early monastery was abandoned in the ninth century, King Æthelstan refounded it in 939; remains of the Anglo-Saxon church established after his refoundation can still be seen today.

More than a thousand years later, an old Wessex landscape skill has found a new purpose. 🌼

Read more from The Guardian below 👇

Initiative aims to keep alive age-old skill, and at Muchelney Abbey in Somerset improve habitat for the shrill carder bee

21/09/2026

Adult fiction. Now also available in paperback, though not from Time Team.

Tony told an audience last weekend to look out for contemporary political figures he knows, cunningly disguised.

Our very own Sir Tony Robinson - actor, presenter, historical expert and star of Time Team and Blackadder - makes his adult fiction debut with this earthy, entertaining and gloriously witty recreation of the Anglo-Saxons, Alfred the Great, and the making of England. Rome. Father Asser is waiting to....

14/09/2026

Reading, Tuesday...

Join us on a whistle-stop gallery tour through 75 years of The MERL!

12/09/2026

📸 A reminder to followers of this particularly relevant exhibition, simply titled "Wessex". It will be hosted in Dorchester for one week beginning Monday ⬇️

The Dorset Monochrome Collective, a group of photographers with a passion for black and white photography, has its annual second exhibition in the community room at Dorchester’s Borough Gardens, from 14th to 20th September.

Founded in 2018 by Alison Webber, the collective of friends who work in either film or digital, include the distinguished portrait and landscape painter Michael Taylor, the maker and photographer Andy Webber, Cathy Warne, Carol Tritton, John Grindle and Margaret Preuss-Higham. They get together monthly to share their work and talk about techniques and ideas.

This second exhibition features a range of subjects from moody landscapes to stunning architecture. Each photographer brings a selection of work based on their own individual interpretation of Wessex.
Alison says the group has gone from strength to strength since its creation eight years ago: “We have all learnt a great deal from each other and we are very excited to have another opportunity to show a selection of our work to the public.”

For more information about the exhibition and the photographers taking part click on the link in the first comment below 👇

Visit-Dorset
Wessex Society
Dorset Camera Club
The Borough Gardens, Dorchester, Dorset

10/09/2026

Better if you don't need them, but good to know that they're there.

Team members represented Wessex Rescue for the 999 emergency service day held at Bournemouth Town Hall. Great to be invited and recognised.