Time & Tide: Life on the South West’s Coasts & Waterways

Devon & Cornwall Archaeological Societies Joint Symposium 2025

📅 Saturday 25 October 2025

📍 Tavistock Town Hall, Bedford Square, Tavistock PL19 0AU

This autumn, Tavistock Town Hall becomes a hub of discovery as archaeologists, historians, and heritage enthusiasts from across the South West gather for the annual Devon and Cornwall Archaeological Societies Joint Symposium.The 2025 theme, Time & Tide: Life on the South West’s Coasts & Waterways, explores how the region’s shores, rivers, and estuaries have shaped communities, industries, and identities through the centuries.

From bustling ports to tranquil creeks, and from shipyards to fishing villages, water has always been at the heart of life in Devon and Cornwall. This year’s symposium delves into that maritime story through a series of talks, discussions, and displays that reveal how people have adapted, traded, and thrived along the region’s ever-changing water’s edge.

⚓ Programme

10.00 – 10.30 | Arrival and Refreshments

Tea, coffee and biscuits served in the Town Hall.

10.30 – 10.35 | Welcome

Neil Holbrook, President of the Devon Archaeological Society, opens the symposium and chairs the morning session.

10.35 – 11.15 | The Mystery of Tavistock’s Hidden Maritime Past

Dr Geri Parlby, Art Historian & Lecturer, uncovers how inland Tavistock was once deeply tied to maritime trade and shipping.

11.15 – 11.45 | Excavations at Commercial Wharf, Plymouth

Martin Read (University of Plymouth) shares new archaeological discoveries from one of the city’s oldest waterfronts.

11.45 – 12.00 | Break (refreshments not provided)

12.00 – 12.30 | Historic England’s Virtual Dive Trails

Hefin Meara (Historic England) introduces innovative digital “dive trails” that allow the public to explore underwater heritage sites.

12.30 – 13.00 | Stover Canal: The Central Link in Mr Templer’s Multimodal Transport System

Dr Phil Newman (South West Landscape Investigation) traces how this early canal shaped 19th-century Devon’s transport networks.

13.00 – 13.10 | Discussion

13.10 – 14.30 | Lunch & DisplaysParticipants may eat packed lunches in the hall; tea and coffee available. Tavistock’s cafés and bakeries are a short stroll away.

14.30 – 14.35 | Welcome to the Afternoon Session

Peter Herring, President of the Cornwall Archaeological Society, introduces the second half of the programme.

14.35 – 15.00 | Shipwrecked Mariner Burials

Richard Mikulski (Cornwall Archaeological Unit) explores the poignant archaeology of those lost to the sea.

15.00 – 15.30 | The Tamara Project

Gary Lewis (Tamar Valley National Landscape) presents this ambitious project linking the river’s heritage and environment.

15.30 – 16.00 | Porths and Gigs of the Isles of Scilly

Cathy Parkes (Cornwall Archaeological Unit) reveals the maritime traditions that shaped Scillonian life.

16.00 – 16.10 | Concluding Discussion and Close

☕ Morning and afternoon refreshments included📚 Displays and bookstalls open all day

🧭 Displays and Exhibits

Throughout the day there will be displays and stalls from Historic England, Tavistock Heritage Trust, Plymouth Archaeology Society, and both county archaeological societies.Delegates can also visit the Tavistock Ship Painting exhibit in the nearby Guildhall, which vividly complements the symposium’s maritime theme.

💷 Booking Information

Tickets are £15 per person, which includes morning and afternoon refreshments.Advance booking is required by Friday 17 October 2025.

You do need to register in advance BUT can pay on the day by cash or card

You can find the booking form by following this link.

Whether you’re a researcher, volunteer, or simply fascinated by the stories written in our tides, this promises to be a lively, informative, and sociable day celebrating the South West’s enduring relationship with the sea.