LIVES & LEGACIES: More Than Bricks and Mortar

CAT Lecture Series 2026

More Than Bricks and Mortar: Historic Buildings and the Lives Within

Historic buildings are often records of the people who lived and worked within them. Through building recording and documentary research, archaeologists can uncover tangible connections between structures and their occupants, revealing stories often lost from the ground below. Drawing on projects undertaken by CAT, this talk explores a range of lives preserved within buildings, including a Colchester house linked to Daniel Defoe, a cottage with a darker past, soldiers’ graffiti in garrison buildings, and even a historic petting zoo (complete with intriguing toilets). Together, these examples show how historic buildings continue to preserve and reveal the lives of those who once inhabited, worked in, and experienced them.

Speaker: Chris Lister

Please note : This series of talks describe and discuss ancient life from an archaeological and historical perspective. Due to the nature of the period some aspects of this topic may cause offence to a modern audience. The intention of the presenter is to be informative and to represent the past as accurately as possible, both for its good elements and bad.

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Host or Publisher Colchester Archaeological Trust