The Big Dig
The Downs and Towns have a long, shared history. The rolling chalk grasslands have shaped the development of the urban areas at its fringes, with people through the centuries relying on the unique landscape for their existence and later for their wealth. ​
Yet many of today’s communities are unaware of the unique story lying under the land they walk on every day. The Big Dig project, previously led by Eastbourne Borough Council's Heritage team, as part of the Changing Chalk Partnership has been exploring those stories
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The project engaged Eastbourne residents with the origins of their town and how the Downland environment has moulded everyday life for centuries. The project will inspire and empower volunteers to help reveal the story through research and archaeology.
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Some of the resources we created through this project are available below.
Big Dig Training Resources
This guide explains how to dig and record an archaeological test pit in your garden. It includes a step by step guide together with some health and safety tips and a list of equipment you’ll need. You can download it here
The recording forms here will help you record what you find!
The training film is available to watch here
Exploring the Bourne Archaeological Report
A limited programme of archaeological test-pitting carried out in late February 2024, based on the results of a geophysical survey to inform research and gather information for the Blue Heart Community Project in partnership with Changing Chalk. The report is available here
This exhibition shares the discoveries made during The Big Dig—fragments of pottery, tools, and traces of buildings—that reveal how landscapes have been shaped by human hands across centuries. Each find adds a piece to the puzzle, connecting us with the people of the past and helping us understand how their lives influenced the world we live in today.
Find out more here
Peacehaven Big Park Excavation Report
Coming Soon!
Eastbourne Big Dig Archaeological Report
Between 9th – 11th June 2023, residents of Eastbourne were asked to dig archaeological test pits in their own gardens to give a snapshot of how parts of Eastbourne developed as a Downland Settlement and to find out more about the daily lives of Eastbourne’s residents throughout history. The report is available here
Butts Brow Excavation Report
The 2022 excavations at the Butts Brow Early Neolithic causewayed enclosure was the continuation of a series of community excavations. The excavation was part of the Big Dig project with the Changing Chalk Partnership and was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Eastbourne Borough Council. Read the report here
Big Dig Learning Pack
Coming Soon!
Changing Chalk: connecting nature, people and heritage
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Working in partnership to connect nature, people and heritage for the future of the Downs
Changing Chalk is a partnership of organisations supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund working together for the future of the South Downs. Through this project, we are reversing the decline of the fragile chalk grassland, and connecting local communities to the nationally significant landscape on their doorstep. Led by the National Trust, the partnership connects nature, people and heritage. It is restoring lost landscapes and habitats, bringing history to life and offering new experiences in the outdoors. Find out more about the Changing Chalk partnership here
