PUPILS from Old Sarum Primary School have buried a time capsule in a new development in Salisbury, with help from Time Team’s Phil Harding.

The whole school got involved in selecting objects to be buried at Longhedge Village which can be dug up in the future for people to see how Old Sarum has changed.

The items included a postage stamp, coins, local and national newspapers, fashion magazines, recipes, a grocery receipt for a weekly shop, an Old Sarum history book, local leaflets, the school’s timetable and menu, photographs and a map of the school – plus plans for the new build – and information on the school council, who buried the capsule.

Phil Harding from Time Team and Wessex Archaeology said: “I was pleased to help the children bury their time capsule and was impressed with the items they selected, they’d clearly spent a lot of time carefully choosing what should be included.

"I work for Wessex Archaeology and we’ve been responsible for the archaeological works at Longhedge Village and I find Salisbury fascinating, especially how the new development is following a similar path to Salisbury’s very first settlement. It was great to work with some budding new historians.”

Each year group focused on specific areas and submitted work ranging from photos and pictures to toys, uniforms and autobiographies.

Also buried were some brochures for the new Linden Homes that are currently being built at Longhedge Village, including floor plans and price lists.

“We thought it would be interesting to create a time capsule while the new homes are being built,” Mick Arnold, production director for Linden Homes, explained.

“We spoke to the children in assembly and they were really excited about collating items for a time capsule, one child even generously offered to bury the family’s iPad to show future generations what technology was like in 2017, which we politely declined.

"The pupils were incredibly enthusiastic and well behaved, and we were thrilled to have Phil involved with his expertise.”

The time capsule is buried on open space by the sales and marketing suite and has been marked with a plaque, so people can visit it.

The children will be able to dig it up in 50 years’ time, when they’re in their 50s and 60s, to see how Old Sarum and life in general has changed.

The new development comprises 650 homes, a primary school, neighbourhood centre, community sports facilities and over 20 hectares of green open space.