Malmesbury ‘doubled in size’ in 2024 thanks to Athelstan 110 project
The success of the Athelstan 1100 project to mark the anniversary of Athelstan becoming the First King of All England is now being measured in Malmesbury.
Statistics gathered around the 36 events which took place in the town in June, July and August this year have shown that Malmesbury with its current population of around 7,000 – actually attracted over 8,000 attendees. Hundreds of volunteers came together in a huge community effort.
Cllr Campbell Ritchie, who led the steering group of community groups and individual volunteers on behalf of Malmesbury Town Team said, “This campaign to generate a long-lasting legacy of interest in Athelstan’s place in Malmesbury’s history has, we all hope, been achieved.
“We delivered events where we used artwork, creativity, music and story-telling and we also achieved our aims of delivering many of these events free of charge – of the 36 events which took place, 22 were free and 6,000 people came along to ticketed events.”
The events which took place were kicked off by a series of specialist talks with leading historians including Tony McAleavy, Professor Michael Wood OBE, Tom Holland FRSL and the Very Reverend Professor Sarah Foot. Community activities centred on three weekends in July, which started with the Big Athelstan Dig which involved excavating 13 test pits in various locations including private gardens, an Anglo Saxon Food, Drink and Craft Fair, a community Anglo Saxon picnic, an Anglo Saxon re-enactment event by the organisation Regio Anglorum at St Aldhelm’s Mead. There was also a celebration Anglo Saxon Feast which sold out within days.
Across the summer The Athelstan Museum, also run by volunteers, staged an Athelstan exhibition bringing together relevant artifacts which had never been displayed in one place. These included the ‘Abingdon Sword’ loaned by the Ashmolean Museum which is an iron sword hilt found in 1874 yet dating from the time of Athelstan; a charter signed by Athelstan dating to 939 AD loaned by the British Library; and rare coins some dating back to the time of Athelstan and his grandfather Alfred The Great (loaned from Noonans). This exhibition ran until 30th September.
Other notable moments were the opening of Athelstan Pilgrim Way in collaboration with the Diocese of Bristol; the unveiling of King Athelstan banners in the High Street with many designs by local school children; the specially created ‘Athelstan – A United Kingdom’ play held in the Abbey, and written and produced by Alan Nixon and Paul Overton as well as the staging of a performance of the musical Oh Athelstan! by the pupils of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, also held in the Abbey.
Media stories about the project went around the world, especially the revelation of 1,000 year old remains of individuals being found in early 2024 in the grounds of the Old Bell Hotel which are now undergoing extensive research, and in a double spread about Malmesbury’s Big Athelstan Dig in a national newspaper in September.
Measuring the impact of this project has been done by various means including counting the number of tickets bought and booked, recording the number of visitors to each separate event and registering the uptick in sales and visits around the town.
Campbell said, “Our statistics have now started to filter through. For example our tourist information centre saw an 70 per cent increase in traffic in June 2024, a 76 per cent increase in July and a 14 per cent increase in August. It’s the first time in its history that we have recorded more visitors in July than in August.
“As for the Athelstan Museum, visitors almost doubled in July alone and sales in the museum’s shop tripled during this period. These were the measurable impacts within Malmesbury and does not even take into account the stories which were told regionally, nationally and internationally.”
Across the summer, 104 organisations and businesses took part in various events and the town was decked with King Athelstan merchandise including badges, t-shirts, fabric, stickers, bunting and even Athelstan Ale and sausages. The event generated an income of £61,000 in ticket sales, sponsorship and grants with services in kind estimated at more than £28,000. Taking all this into account it achieved its target of breaking even and there is expected to be a small surplus which will be invested back into the community for future events.
“This is not the end,” Campbell said. “The finds from Athelstan’s Big Malmesbury Dig will be on display in Malmesbury Town Hall on the 15thand 16th March 2025, with supporting explanations by Cotswold Archaeology, and we are continuing our visits to people in the local community unable to directly attend our events to tell Athelstan’s amazing story.
“The original films and songs made for Athelstan 1100 will also feature on a new Explore Malmesbury YouTube channel launching in Spring 2025 and Malmesbury’s Athelstan Trail will be available to enjoy for years to come.”
It’s not the end of this story. There will be new events and collaborations as the 1100th anniversary of other key moments in Athelstan’s reign come around and the Malmesbury team are liaising with colleagues in Kingston Upon Thames next year as they celebrate his coronation which took place there in 925AD.
To keep up to date with Athelstan 1100 and its ongoing events and legacy visit: www.athelstan1100.co.uk
