South West's annual forum, lecture and dinner

Join the South West committee for their annual lecture and dinner. 

The lecture titled 3,000 Years of History from under the sea in the South West: A team of amateur divers discovered gold coins, nuggets and jewellery on the sea bed in the Erme Estuary,  will be given by Ron Howell.  In 1995 a team of amateur divers made the most important maritime discoveries of Bronze Age artefacts in the Erme Estuary. Lying next to the Bronze Age wreck, named the richest wreck carrying Islamic gold in Northern Europe, this discovery proved for the first time that trade between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe existed. The talk will cover four shipwrecks from this one area of seabed. Ron Howell is secretary of the South West Maritime Archaeological Group and is responsible for amazing discoveries, breaking the surface on that day in 1995 with his hands clutching gold coins, nuggets and jewellery.

About the speaker

Ron has been a diver for over 50 years and dived many of the countries historic wreck sites, the main ones being the 'Gold' wreck and Bronze Age wrecks off Salcombe, Devon. The Bronze Age wrecks are now described as the most important maritime discoveries of the period in the world.