About this Event
Join metal-detecting cousins Eleanor Bruce and Lucilla Gray from Roman Found as they discuss their debut book 'Things We Found in the Ground' in conversation with Tom W. Ayling.
Cousins from opposites sides of the world, Ellie and Lucie grew up unaware of each other’s interest in history and the search for lost objects. But after being brought together during lockdown at their grandfather’s home in Lincolnshire, they picked up a metal detector for the first time and quickly discovered a shared passion which set them off on a life-changing journey, reconnecting with each other and the buried history that we walk over every day.
Over many months and years spent digging countless holes across Britain, often fuelled by a neighbour’s lemon drizzle cake, the pair make startling discoveries: about the objects they find and what they tell us about our ancestors – including bronze age axes, roman coins and unexploded WII bombs; about who they are as people; and about the power of community, as they forge connections with local villagers, fellow detectorists and history lovers along the way. Weaving in stories of their local finds with their significance in our national story, Things We Found In The Ground is a charming tale of (self-)discovery that will leave you with a new-found appreciation of our history and the importance of looking beneath the surface.
Perfect for fans of Mudlarking and The Detectorists, this is an illuminating story about our connection to the past and what we leave behind
"Enchanting and visceral, this familial and adventurous history takes us along bustling field boundaries, through boggy ditches and out into the wild in search of the past hidden just beneath our feet." - Dr Madeleine Pelling
‘Brilliantly witty and magnificently down to earth, this glittering gem of a book will have you laughing out loud as it enthrals you with the tantalising history hiding just beneath our feet’ - Rebecca Struthers
About the authors:
Cousins Ellie and Lucie are a metal detecting duo united by their shared interest in history and design. A lockdown hobby to explore the outdoors quickly evolved into a deep-rooted passion for the history beneath our feet and inspired the creative journey that became Roman Found, which now has a combined online following of over 250,000.
Within the metal detecting world, they are active self-recorders of their finds on the Portable Antiquities Scheme and have been featured on the cover of Searcher Magazine, in the Guardian, on BBC's The One Show, and worked with brands like Barbour and LP Metal Detecting.
Find them on social media @romanfound
Tom Ayling is an antiquarian bookseller who runs his eponymous business dealing in rare books and manuscripts from the Oxfordshire countryside. He began collecting books at university and well-meaning people now inform him he owns too many.
He has written about rare books for the TLS, and his videos about rare books and book-collecting get over 10 million views a month and he has almost 1 million followers across all platforms.
Find him on social media @tomwayling
The event will start promptly at 7.00pm, please arrive 10 minutes early.
Ticket with book £22 - save £6!
Ticket £8.00
Includes a complimentary glass of wine/soft drink on arrival.
The book will be sold 20% off on the evening, but it is better value to buy it with the ticket in advance.
To keep up to date with events at Stanfords,
Author talks are held in our basement which is fully accessible via a nearby lift. Please ask a member of staff who will accompany you.
Please ensure we have an up-to-date contact email address or telephone number when booking your ticket so that we can contact you with any updates.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Stanfords, 7 Mercer Walk, London, United Kingdom
GBP 8.00 to GBP 22.00
