Join us to celebrate the end of the year with our Annual Christmas Soirée and Mulled Wine Reception.

The meeting will begin with Society business and will be followed by the paper:

Returning to our Roots: The Council for British Archaeology at 80

by Neil Redfern FSA

To round off their 80^th year the The Council for British Archaeology is returning to Society of Antiquaries to celebrate their origins, their continued partnership with the Society and to look to the future.

2024 marks the 80^th anniversary of the Council for British Archaeology. They evolved out of a series of meetings held at Burlington House under the leadership of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1943 and 1944. The purpose of the meetings was to explore the role and opportunities for archaeology in the post-war reconstruction of the UK historic towns and cities. The key organisations represented in these discussions were SAL and the Congress of Archaeological Societies. The Congress was founded in 1888 as an assembly of local archaeology and history societies throughout the UK. It aimed to promote British archaeology in all its aspects. The Congress was dissolved 1945 after the establishment of the CBA and our first Council meeting was held in Burlington House on 8 March 1944.

Their lectures will have three parts. Part one will reflect on the foundation of the CBA and the legacy of archaeology over this time. Part two will explore the work and role of the CBA today and part three will look to the future of archaeology from a member of their Youth Advisory Board, which was established in 2023.

Admission to the Ordinary Meeting is free as usual but we recommend that you register in advance. We hope Fellows and Affiliates will join us for our annual Mulled Wine Reception, following the miscellany meeting. Admission to Mulled Wine Reception is by ticket only (£10). Guests are welcome!

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This event will be both in person at Burlington House and online. Please select the appropriate ticket below.

Attendance at Burlington House:

• Open to anyone to join, Fellows, Affiliates and General Public.
• Places in person will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
• The event will begin at 17.00 GMT. Please arrive in plenty of time.
• Registration is essential for non-Fellows but we encourage Fellows to register as well.
• Admission to Mulled Wine Reception is by ticket only (£10).
• Fellows must ensure they sign the guest book and sign their guests in.

The schedule for the evening if attending in person:

• Refreshments are served from 16.30 GMT in the council room.
• The meeting begins at 17.00 GMT with the lecture starting at approximately 17.10 GMT.
• Lectures run for approximately 45min and are followed by a short Q&A.
• Sherry is served in the Foyer following the lecture.

Attendance by Live Stream:

• Open to anyone to join, Fellows, Affiliates and General Public.
• The event will also be live-streamed on YouTube here.
• The event will begin at 17.00 GMT.
• You will receive an email reminder with the link to join the day before the lecture.

Please help the Society continue to deliver our FREE online Lecture Programme by making a donation to cover the cost of upgraded IT and software. We would really appreciate your support. Thank you! 

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Get tickets online