Hello You 121: 'Then along comes Offa ...'

‘Offa’s Dyke ran through my grandfather’s pub’s beer garden’Offa’s Dyke is hugely significant … and, for that matter, huge.But how much do we in Shropshire know or understand about it? Or about the nature of the border between us and our neighbours to the west?‘There’s a fundamental human curiosity about where we’re from’This is something that’s occupied landscape archaeologist Mel Roxby-Mackey for many years. She’s been fascinated by Offa’s earthwork since, as a child, discovering it passes through the beer garden of the pub her grandfather used to run. ‘The archaeology of this part of the country is very, very special’Mel and her husband and fellow archaeologist Ian Mackey are trustees of the Offa’s Dyke Association, which operates a rather lovely heritage centre in Knighton, Powys. They want to make us more aware of the history and significance of Offa’s Dyke and the border. I met them - and Hamish the Archaeodog! - at the Offa’s Dyke Centre, overlooking the earthwork itself, for this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast.Also in this episode:Why do so many people say they always wanted to be an archaeologist? Why didn’t they follow their dreams?I’ve had a remarkable response to the Hello You episode about Shrewsbury Prison, Hello You 120: Discontent in Cell Block Number 9. Thank you to everyone who’s been in touch.And this would be a very good time to remind you of the confidential Hello You Tip Line!How and where do you listen to Hello You the Shropshire podcast? To answer this or get in touch about anything else, send me a message? If you like Hello You, why not make sure you never miss an episode by subscribing for free? And if you really like Hello You, why not support my endeavours to bring intelligent, progressive, informed and sometimes quirky conversation to Shropshire and beyond by taking out a paid subscription?Hello You - the Shropshire podcast from Jim Hawkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thank you for being a member of the Hello You familyTake care of yourself. Take care of the people around you, and I really hope they’re taking care of you, too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimallthetime.substack.com/subscribe