Waterloo Uncovered

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The groundbreaking charity combining world-class archaeology with veteran care and recovery.

16/10/2026

🪏 Finds Friday 🪏

This 1839 shilling (depicting a newly crowned Queen Victoria) was unearthed at Hougoumont in 2016. It reflects the growing tourist trade that emerged on the battlefield in the years following the Battle of Waterloo. Visitors, particularly from Britain, travelled to the battlefield to witness the site of Wellington’s famous victory. Many came to explore the famous landmarks, some returning home with genuine artefacts or forged relics sold by local souvenir vendors.

14/10/2026

We had a hugely insightful day at the recent Army Museums Ogilby Trust conference, hearing from a range of interesting speakers and engaging with the network of army museums. And we left with a number of ideas on how to enable even more engagement with the archaeological collection from the Battle of Waterloo.

09/10/2026

🪏 Finds Friday 🪏

🚋 Did you know a tram ran through the Waterloo battlefield?

For this week’s , we’re exploring a piece of Waterloo’s more recent past.

In 2024, our team uncovered this rusted, I-shaped cast-iron bar. It’s too small to be the tramrail that one of our team suggested, but it got us thinking about the tracks that once crossed this historic landscape.

Here at Waterloo, trams coming south from Brussels travelled through Mont-Saint-Jean, with branches towards Braine-l’Alleud and east to Wavre — another key battlefield of the 1815 campaign. Imagine riding past the Lion’s Mound on your daily journey!

The local tram services disappeared in the late 1960s, replaced by buses, but photographs preserve this fascinating chapter of the battlefield’s history.

08/10/2026

We were delighted to attend the Royal Hospital Chelsea Veterans Outreach session last week and present the opportunities available on our forthcoming programmes. If you are a veteran or serving military, with a wellbeing need, and are interested in engaging with the archaeology of the Battle of Waterloo, take a look at our programmes 👇

https://www.waterloouncovered.com/programmes/

02/10/2026

🪏 Finds Friday 🪏

We need your help identifying this object! This tiny metal object was discovered at Hougoumont Farm in 2018. It is made of copper alloy and has a serrated edge on one side. It appears to have two loop holes, one with a metal fragment still attached.

Any ideas? Let us know in the comments!

30/09/2026

Our CEO, Abbie, enjoyed a step into the football world last week, as she joined the Forest Forces Armed Forces breakfast club. The collaboration will see our Finds in the Community programme return to the Midlands in early 2027, bringing the objects from the battlefield of Waterloo to veterans in their local community, as we support wellbeing. If you are a veteran, with a wellbeing need, and are interested in exploring some of our archaeological collection, find out more and express your interest via the link below:

https://www.waterloouncovered.com/

25/09/2026

🪏Finds Friday 🪏

Two musket balls. One shot. A deliberate choice, or a mistake under pressure?

Regular followers will know that a humble musket ball can hold clues to how it was loaded, fired and what it hit.

This unusual find appears to be an example of double-loaded shot: two balls loaded into the same musket before firing. Soldiers might do this deliberately for greater effect at close range, at the expense of accuracy. It could also happen accidentally amid the anxiety and confusion of battle.

Recovered in 2019, on the famous reverse slope between La Haye Sainte and Mont-Saint-Jean Farm, where Allied troops sheltered from French artillery fire. A small find that raises vivid questions about the actions and experiences of the soldiers who fought here.

23/09/2026

Last week, Liam and Abbie from our team were at Hougoumont Farm providing an insight into the archaeology of the battlefield to members of the Coldstream Guards. A great opportunity to talk about some of the incredible finds from the battlefield, including Coldstream buttons, as well as the positive impact of archaeology in improving wellbeing for our Armed Forces community.

18/09/2026

🪏 Finds Friday 🪏

During our metal detector surveys, our team of archaeologists and veterans frequently uncover metal fittings and buckles from objects that have long since deteriorated. This buckle is a rare exception, as it still retains traces of the leather to which it was attached. It was discovered during our excavations at Hougoumont Farm in 2017 and may have been lost during the French attempt to assault the château.

17/09/2026

What an experience for some of our community to have the privilige to see the Bayeux Tapestry recently at the British Museum and appreciate the enormity of effort and skills to create this world famous heritage asset. The incredible and intricate sewing, which tells the story of the Battle of Hastings, provided us with the opportunity to see how shared heritage - in all its forms - can help us understand the past and forge strong relationships for the future.

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Isleworth

Website

http://www.waterloouncovered.com/

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British DJ & MC Academy
The grangeway, London
Hephzibar Foundation