Time travel with Princesshay Exeter

Date: 4 Jul 2007

Pupils at a local school in Exeter have collected iconic 21st century items to bury in a time capsule under the new Princesshay development.

St Sidwell's Church of England Primary School in Exeter nominated their Year 6 class to gather a range of key everyday items from their school and home to bury in the time capsule, for future generations to discover. These include a school jumper, coins, a chocolate wrapper, significant articles in a local and national newspaper as well as school work and drawings.

Hayley Dymond, Year 6 Class Teacher at Sidwell School said, ‘We were very pleased to be involved in the Princesshay time capsule, the children were very excited about it and came up with a lot of ideas. It’s a great way for them to learn about the links between the past, present and future. The combination of a school trip to the Princesshay site and the new refurbishments at St Sidwell School have educated the children about the need for redevelopment and change, but also the importance of preserving the present for future generations to enjoy. It’s been a fun and enjoyable lesson for us all.’

The idea for the time capsule was developed from the largest archaeological excavation ever to occur in the Princesshay area of the city centre. The team from Exeter Archaeology was on site in Princesshay for 9 months, between Summer 2005 and March 2006, during which time they uncovered fascinating artefacts from the city´s Roman and Medieval past. The ‘Big Dig’ provided many opportunites for local schools to view the archaeological excavations and find out about Exeter’s history. The time capsule created an opportunity to similarly leave artefacts from the present for future generations to learn about and discover.

Sally Henley, Princesshay Manger said, ‘We are very keen to involve the local community and schools in the development as it is their heritage and city. The Princesshay area has a fascinating history spanning Roman, Medieval and Tudor times to the modern day. The tours and Teachers’ Resource Guide CD-Rom have generated a lot of interest from local schools. We hope the time capsule created by pupils from St Sidwell's Church of England Primary School will enable a small amount of the present to remain within the site for future generations to enjoy.’

The time capsule will be buried in the heart of Princesshay later this month.