Introducing the KAS Archivist, Craig Campbell
My name is Craig Campbell, and I am incredibly pleased to be joining the Kent Archaeological Society in the role of Society Archivist and Librarian.
I have been a member of the Society since my family and I moved to Kent 5 years ago. I have had the immense pleasure of being involved in several Society-led excavations and events. The professionalism, ambition and friendly, welcoming attitude of the Society immediately struck a chord, and I am honoured to become a part of this amazing family.
I discovered a passion for History and Archaeology reasonably late in my career journey, having spent several years studying art and music technology, often convinced that rock star status was just around the corner. I had an incredible experience, touring the country multiple times, playing to audiences large (once, even to a packed tent at Glastonbury Festival) and small (a gig where the only audience members were the bar staff and a gentleman with his dog who had popped in to use the free Wi-Fi), it soon became apparent that the world was not quite ready for my musical misadventures.
It was a love of the fascinating stories woven into historical events that enticed me to change direction. I completed a joint honours degree in History and Creative Writing at the University of Derby before moving to London and beginning a life-changing employment at the British Library. First, I worked as a librarian, dwelling deep within the labyrinth basements of that iconic building, wandering the subterranean vaults built to secure the world’s knowledge. After a short while, I was elevated to the role of preservation assistant in the National Sound Archive. I helped solve the logistical challenges of digitising a vast audio collection of obsolete and unusual media. I was again promoted to archivist for this collection, where I gained expert knowledge in archival practice.
During this time, I also volunteered for The Golden Hinde Trust, a living history museum telling the story of Sir Francis Drake on a replica of his famous vessel, The Golden Hinde. I worked between the office in London, creating and maintaining their unique archive, and Marin County, California, where I helped to organise and arrange The Drake Navigators Guild Archive, assisting the National Park Service. These collections hold a wealth of research and data relating to the life and voyages of Francis Drake and Tudor England, and it was a great privilege to steer them towards safe preservation and public access.
I later studied for a Masters Degree in Archaeological Practice at Birkbeck University of London. Completing this with Distinction, I made the leap into Archaeological employment. I have several years of experience in developer- funded archaeology, working with professional units nationwide, such as the University of Leicester Archaeological Services, the Museum of London Archaeology, the Northern Archaeological Association and the Canterbury Archaeological Trust. This furnished me with first-hand experience of the archaeological processes from conception to completion and allowed me the rare opportunity to handle artefacts from the full extent of British History and Prehistory. Notable sites included a large extent of Roman Leicester, A spectacularly well-preserved Saxon cemetery in Hartlepool and some incredible prehistoric landscapes in both Lincolnshire and Kent.
I returned to the British Library in 2018 when I was offered a unique opportunity as a Leading Library Assistant for a project to digitise the Kings and Royal Manuscript collections. I spent an immense year in this, working with some of the most important documents in the world and assisting the sublime preservation and conservation teams at the Library. I was promoted to a Curatorial Assistant role in the British Library’s India Office. During that time, I was involved in caring for and cataloguing collections, answering all manner of customer and public enquiries, solving logistical challenges and publishing blogs on genuine ancient lost treasures, gruesome murder mysteries, and other historical intrigues. I even rediscovered a long-forgotten Burmese Prince!
In 2020, I was awarded a CHASE scholarship to pursue my research fixation, studying London’s Late Iron Age landscapes. My Thesis will be the first to comprehensively map the development of pre-Roman London by exploring the evidence of Late Iron Age settlements and river activity from this region of the Thames. I am currently writing this up and will submit it very soon.
Between all of this, I have busied myself with family life and adventures, creating a website and blog devoted to our exploits. I have been involved in many music projects (still waiting for the day that rock star status is granted), I have written a novel and several short stories, I am an avid jogger, hill walker and a keen football enthusiast, supporting teams who seem to love to disappoint me, and frequently competing in the Winckelmann Cup (Archaeology’s answer to the Champions League).
Mostly, I like to think of myself as a happy, sociable, and friendly face, so please feel free to say hello anytime. If I can help in any way, I will endeavour to do so. I look forward to meeting everyone soon, exploring the Society Archives and Library, and promoting its fantastic content.