For over 25 years Nick Hanks has delivered talks, lectures and training for groups, societies, universities and conferences. Those currently available are listed below under the following themes: –
- Heritage Tour Guiding
- Ritual and Space
- Landscape Archaeology
- Archaeological Practice
These presentations are delivered in a variety of formats. These are in brackets after each description; Talk / Lecture / Training / Storytelling / Fieldtrip / Workshop.
Heritage Tour Guiding
Paces & Places : How to give heritage guided walks.
This training has been delivered to hundreds of guides across England. It consists of a presentation and then a little practical demonstration. The talk covers similar material to the meta-tour above, but focuses much more on guided tour practicalities, covering areas such as; how to plan your route, what materials to use, how to manage the group of people and how to structure the walk. At the end a short mini-mock-tour outside of the venue demonstrates some of the points raised in the talk. This draws on Nick Hanks’s 30 plus years of experience leading guided walks in diverse settings and his time studying Theatre Studies at Warwick University.
[Talk / Training]
“The session was a great success. All of the attendees are experienced volunteers in different ways and are not easy to impress – you did.” Peter Mawr – Senior Programme Officer, Northumberland County Council. Hexham HSHAZ
“Thank you for coming to Swindon yesterday to share your experience and expertise and teach us all about how to give guided heritage tours. It was really helpful and everyone clearly enjoyed the workshop. I shall be restructuring my tour to reflect what I learnt from you!” Karen Phimister – HAZ Project Officer. Swindon Borough Council
Adventures in Time & Place : Why become a heritage tour guide.
This talk was created as a recruitment event. It describes what it takes, what one gets out of tour guiding and reassures by explaining some of the techniques. This talk includes some of the material from the Paces & Places training described above. It includes anecdotes about incidents and adventures Nick Hanks has had while leading guided walks over 30 years.
[Talk / Training]
Performing or Lecturing? The Challenges and Opportunities of Interpreting Heritage on Tours – the Bristol meta-tour.
This field trip will work on two levels. Firstly as an introductory guided tour of the history and archaeology of the City of Bristol, using various methods of presentation. Secondly, an exploration of the interpretation issues arising from the site and the material about it. With opportunities for discussion. Due to the use of an urban environment there will be a bias in the sites visited towards Medieval and later periods. However, some presentation methods and issues will also be applicable to Prehistory, and some specific examples applying to Prehistory will be presented though without their relevant context. The issues covered include:- use of objects and pictures, safety, acoustics, ambiguity, too much or too little archaeological data, literature and legends, storytelling and costume. This fieldtrip draws on Nick Hanks’s experience in guided tours, research, interpretation and his time studying Theatre Studies at Warwick University.
[Fieldtrip / Training]
Ritual and Space
Doorways to the Divine – sacred spaces in modern religious buildings.
A look at the use of space in the buildings of eight different religions (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Ba’hai and modern Druids) and what they tell us about religious ritual requirements of space. Based on research and theoretical work published in 2012 and developed from his MA research. This includes a section on ritual and spatial theory.
[Talk / Lecture.] [Some of this material is on the Doorways to the Divine page.]
Spaces for Words. Spaces for Symbols. – non-conformist chapels and masonic halls.
Both were new building types built for new social groups, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Though both new movements were similarly regarded with suspicion and targeted by legislation, their social organisation and buildings are completely different. Based on MA research.
[Talk / Lecture]
The Subtle Qualities of Space.
There is no such thing as an empty room. Our bodies and minds respond subtly to different locations within a space, and this affects both performance and ritual as experienced and as witnessed. This workshop is derived from those given by the drama theorist Clive Barker in the mid 1980s, which Nick Hanks attended.
[Workshop] [This material is covered on the Bodies and Minds in Space page.]
The Tao Teh Ching – the way and its virtue.
An introduction to this hugely influential and inspiring Chinese classic about ‘the Way’ and how to follow it. This talk goes beyond the origins and influence of this text to explore the concepts within it; the failure of success, nothing-wanting, nothing-knowing, nothing-doing and the success of failure. This talk heavily draws on the brilliant translation and commentary of the Tao Teh Ching by Herrymon Maurer.
[Talk]
Many Paths, One Forest – an introduction to modern Paganisms.
Heathens, Druids, Wiccans, Hedgewitches; it is all very confusing for the uninitiated. This talk covers the diversity of modern Paganisms. It also delves into the origins and how these parallel with the emergence of Archaeology as a disciple. A walk-through of a typical ritual will de-mystify the nature of the practice. This draws on both personal experience and academic work.
[Talk]
“In Come I…” – St George and mummers’ plays.
A talk of four parts. Firstly, the myth and history of the patron saint of England. Secondly, a telling of one version of the legend of St George. Thirdly, the English folk drama of ‘mumming’ in which St George is a regular character. And finally, you will have a chance to join in a read-through of a short mumming play staring St George. Nick Hanks has experience of mumming in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire.
[Talk / Storytelling]
Landscape Archaeology
Reconstructing a Dragon’s Tale – Sir Bevis of Hampton and the Snakewell, near Bristol.
A lost standing stone and a fragmentary medieval cross with a heroes name plus a well associated with serpents all hint at a lost legendary dragon slaying. Combining other research and comparing it to the most common elements of British dragon tales this presentation ends with a telling of the reconstructed tale. This is based on research for the article published in 2007.
[Talk / Lecture / Storytelling]
Ancient Tales: reconstructing stories from the Ice Age.
Recent research has revealed three ‘scenes’ from lost myths among the vast diversity of Paleolithic European art. After exploring this intriguing diversity then you will hear a performance of these recreated tales. These tales were performed at the National Trust South-West Outdoors Festival.
[Talk / Storytelling]
Stanton Drew – archaeology, history and folklore.
The Great Circle at Stanton Drew is the second largest in Britain, but is not widely known. This talk covers all that is currently known about this impressive megalithic complex, from the folklore to the geophysical survey that transformed the view of the site. This is put in the wider context of other henges, and the Neolithic / Bronze Age of North Somerset. All four of the folktales connected with the site will be told. Ideally this will consist of a lecture in the morning and a field trip in the afternoon, though it can be done as a stand alone talk with the storytelling.
[Talk / Lecture / Fieldtrip / Storytelling]
Sutton Hoo – an introduction to this archaeological wonders.
This presentation ends with the short telling of the oldest story in English, ‘Beowulf’.
[Talk / Storytelling]
Cheddar Gorge – geology, history and botany.
Delve into the depths of the Britain’s biggest gorge. It is full of natural wonders large and small, including unique species that are here and nowhere else and curious hybridizing trees. The caves have tales to tell from the evidence Ice Age cannibalism to the beginnings of the show caves, via hunting kings and the famous Cheddar cheese. This talk is based on research for the National Trust guidebook.
[Talk]
King John’s Hunting Lodge and Axbridge – a history.
This fine medieval timber building stands at the heart of a town over looking the market square. It’s history and the museum collection of objects within illustrates the life of Axbridge from the Saxon borough, through times as a prosperous wool town and an important administrative centre to diversification in modern times. This talk is based on research for the National Trust guidebook.
[Talk]
Brean Down – 10,000 years in 1 mile.
This landscape has everything; glacial faunal deposits, field systems, a Bronze Age village, cairns, barrows, a hillfort, a Roman temple, a post-Roman cemetery, evidence of a tsunami, a failed port with the navvies’ housing, a Napoleonic Coastal Fort, a World War II complex of buildings including training structures, special weapons testing equipment etc etc etc. Based on the detailed fieldwork and documentary research that he has carried out on this landscape.
[Talk / Lecture / Fieldtrip]
King John’s Hunting Lodge and Axbridge – a history.
This fine medieval timber building stands at the heart of a town over looking the market square. It’s history and the museum collection of objects within illustrates the life of Axbridge from the Saxon borough, through times as a prosperous wool town and an important administrative centre to diversification in modern times. This talk is based on research for the National Trust guidebook.
[Talk]
Tyntesfield and Failand – the lost estates.
They are both in the same parish, but the rural landscape from which they were both made has become remarkably different. One landscape completely changed, and people were excluded. The other preserved what was there before, and was made openly accessible. Tracing their story from prehistory to the present, but particularly looking at the effect of the 19th century owners. Based on the detailed fieldwork that he has carried out on these two estates.
[Talk]
Ornaments and Oranges – the archaeology and history of Dyrham Park.
Through looking at both the design of the house, its contents and the layout of the elaborate water gardens, an overall purpose can be discerned in William Blathwayt’s house. His links with William of Orange, and the attitudes and developments of later Blathwayts will also be looked at. This presentation is based on his original fieldwork, documentary research and geophysical survey.
[Talk]
The Green Frog Service – why put landscapes on plates?
Catherine the Great commissioned this 944 piece dinner service from Josiah Wedgewood, with 1,222 images of Britain upon it. It was the very first European service to have real views upon it. She started the trend that continues to this day. It also became part of building the British national myth through representations of landscape. Based on research work done during his MA.
[Talk]
Archaeological Practice
This series of 3 presentations is an extract from training developed over 20 years for delivery at English Heritage, Historic England and at various universities. It draws on over 30 years of using maps for archaeological research.
The Map is Not the Territory I – using digital data and maps for archaeological research
Maps are the bedrock of archaeological research. And when combined with mapped data like Historic Environment Records (HERs), they unlock the landscape. However, all is not what it seems. The concepts behind the maps and the data, have consequences and can be misleading. For the map is not the territory.
This presentation will guide beginners through where to find the maps and the archaeological data, and how to use it. Looking at national and local online resources such as HERs, the NHLE, Mariner and the Heritage Gateway among others.
The fundamental understanding of that this presentation provides is built on in the following two.
[Talk / Lecture / Training]
The Map is Not the Territory II – using historic maps for archaeological research
This presentation will cover the most common types of historic map such as estate maps, tithe maps, enclosure maps and the GOAD fire insurance maps. Then move on to the historic maps of the Ordnance Survey.
The relationship and accuracy of old maps to modern maps will be explored. How reliable are they? As well as what kind of features they reveal for archaeologists. Where to access these maps online and on paper will be revealed. And how to find out what all the symbols and abbreviations mean.
It will also include two short exercises in using historic maps for ‘map regression’.
[Talk / Lecture / Training]
The Map is Not the Territory III – using lidar and aerial photography in archaeological research
Aerial photography and Lidar provide the archaeologist with so much than maps alone can provide. Yet both can be confusing to understand what they actual show.
Lidar is created by surveying a landscape with a laser. Then millions of points are stitched together to ‘simulate’ the landscape. Subtle features can be discovered, but other features can be misread or be mistakes made by this method. And then we will look at what how you can work with lidar in 3D on your own laptop.
To make use of aerial photography you will need to understand the basics of crop marks and soil marks. We will also cover what looks like archaeology but is not. And then look at the online resources which provide ready made interpretation of aerial photography.
This presentation will cover where to find these resources online and on paper.
[Talk / Lecture / Training]
