Lockdown Lectures

Join a team of international experts for our brand-new lecture series, featuring gripping new perspectives on the battle, the latest news about our dig discoveries, and the techniques archaeologists use to uncover the secrets of the past.

Lectures so far

Introduction to Hougoumont

Introduction to Hougoumont
In this lecture, the first in a new series of Lockdown Lectures, Tony sets the scene for the bitter and bloody fighting that consumed the Chateau of Hougoumont, one of the Duke of Wellington’s key allied positions.
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Archaeological Techniques in Action

Archaeological Techniques in Action
In the second lecture of our Lockdown Lectures series, WU Archaeological Director Dr Stuart Eve gives an introduction to the archaeological techniques we use at Waterloo, including why we dig where we dig and how we locate and record our finds.
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The Killing Ground of Hougoumont

The Killing Ground of Hougoumont
Waterloo Uncovered's Archaeological Director Tony Pollard explains how the area just beyond the wall of the formal garden of a Belgian Chateau became known as the 'Killing Ground', the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the Battle of Waterloo.
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Battle for the North Gate

Battle for the North Gate
In a special Lockdown Lecture for #WaterlooWeek, Time Team's Phil Harding talks us through the battle within a battle that took place at Waterloo, and, according to the Duke of Wellington, turned the tides of the battle in the Allies favour: the Battle for the North Gate at Hougoumont!
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Remote Sensing and GIS

Remote Sensing and GIS
Wondering about the cutting edge archaeological technology we use to survey the battlefield of Waterloo in Belgium? Learn more about remote sensing, GIS and LIDAR with our Archaeological Director Dr. Stuart Eve.
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A Tale of Two Buttons

A Tale of Two Buttons
In the second of Phil Harding's Lockdown Lectures for Waterloo Uncovered, Phil explains how archaeology can connect us to the people of the past, and how even the smallest items of personal kit can tell the stories of forgotten soldiers. Watch now to find out more about the buttons of Hougoumont, lost during the Battle of Waterloo and rediscovered last year during our excavation at the famous North Gate.
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A Guide to Commercial Archaeology

A Guide to Commercial Archaeology
Waterloo Uncovered's Archaeological Director Dr Stuart Eve, who is a founding partner of leading UK archaeological practice L-P Archaeology, gives a beginners guide to how the commercial archaeology sector works, and explains the ways you can get involved.
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Metal Detecting and Archaeology

Metal Detecting and Archaeology
In our latest Lockdown Lecture, Dr Stuart Eve presents a guide to metal detecting in archaeological settings; including how we utilise a team of metal detectorists on the battlefield of Waterloo and the work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
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Monuments to the Dead

Monuments to the Dead
Phil Harding recounts the different eras uncovered during excavation of Bulford Camp, Wiltshire, from early burials, to ring ditches, to pits with sophisticated grave goods. From there, he traces a connection from the Neolithic to the Napoleonic through his work on the battlefield of Waterloo.
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The French Break In at Hougoumont

The French Break In at Hougoumont
In this Lockdown Lecture, Professor Tony Pollard explains how the French attempted to break through the North Gate of Hougoumont Farm, one of the Allies' major defensive positions during the Battle of Waterloo.
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Archaeological Databases and Records

Archaeological Databases and Records
In this Lockdown Lecture, Dr Stuart Eve explores how we keep track and make sense of the archaeological discoveries we make while excavating, and explains the importance of recording to preserve the past for future generations.
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A Dutch Perspective on Waterloo

A Dutch Perspective on Waterloo
In our latest Lockdown Lecture, Ben Schoenmaker, the director of the Netherlands Institute of Military History (NIMH) in The Hague, gives the Dutch Perspective of the Battle of Waterloo.
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Flints of Farndon Fields and Waterloo

Flints of Farndon Fields and Waterloo
In our latest Lockdown Lecture, Time Team's Phil Harding (an expert flint knapper) describes the evidence of flint knapping found at the Upper Palaeolithic site of Farndon Fields in Nottinghamshire, and explains how flints can connect us to the Battle of Waterloo.
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Blood in the Orchard

Blood in the Orchard
Professor Tony Pollard's investigation of Hougoumont continues in another Lockdown Lecture. In this episode, Tony combines the archaeological evidence and historical accounts to explain the bloody battle that took place in the gardens of Hougoumont
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Virtual Tour of Hougoumont

Virtual Tour of Hougoumont
In a very special Lockdown Lecture, Dr Stuart Eve takes us on a tour of a virtual Hougoumont farm, courtesy of Pan Immersion.
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An Introduction to Waterloo Uncovered

An Introduction to Waterloo Uncovered
In our latest Lockdown Lecture, archaeologist Sam Wilson gives an introduction to the Waterloo Uncovered project, including a summary of our most exciting archaeological discoveries on the battlefield, and how archaeology can aid in veteran welfare and recovery.
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The Siege of Hopton Castle

The Siege of Hopton Castle
In our final Lockdown Lecture of the summer, Time Team's Phil Harding describes one of his favourite excavations from his Time Team days: the site of Hopton Castle in Shropshire, which was under siege during the English Civil War.
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Waterloo Uncovered Needs You!

Waterloo Uncovered Needs You!
Phil Harding, known for his work on Channel 4's Time Team and one of Waterloo Uncovered's Archaeological Supervisors, recaps the highlights from our Lockdown Lecture series and has a special request for our viewers and supporters. Can you help us continue our work?
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About this lecture series

Due to the coronavirus crisis, we have been unable to travel to Belgium for our annual excavation this year. As a result, Waterloo Uncovered has had to adapt our programme of education and support for veterans – so we’ve gone virtual!

An international team of expert battlefield archaeologists have collaborated to produce a new series known as the Lockdown Lectures – and we're now making them available to our supporters across our website and YouTube channel.

Every week, we’ll bring you a new Lockdown Lecture from archaeologists and academics such as Time Team’s Phil Harding and WU’s archaeological directors Professor Tony Pollard and Dr Stuart Eve, alongside a range of special guests.

A wide variety of topics will be covered over the coming weeks; including an introduction to the Battle of Waterloo, a beginners guide to excavation, how we can integrate cutting edge technology into archaeology, and how Phil Harding’s passion for the past has taken him from the Neolithic to the Napoleonic and from Time Team to Waterloo!

We’ll be releasing a new Lockdown Lecture every week, so watch this space.