Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commemorate in 2027 the 1100th anniversary of England's establishment as a unified state under King Athelstan in 927.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I am not aware of any government plans to specifically commemorate the 1100th anniversary of England's establishment as a unified state under King Æthelstan in 927.
However, DCMS's Arms-Length Body, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has recently funded 2 projects that explore Æthelstan and his history.
In the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, where Æthelstan was crowned in 925, in November 2024 the NLHF gave a grant of over £178k to support the council to deliver Kingston 2025: Celebrating our past, present, and future. The project invites visitors to ‘immerse themselves in all things Saxon’, showcasing the skills and trade of Æthelstan’s era.
In Malmesbury, the town in which Æthelstan was buried at his own request, in April 2024 a NLHF grant of over £14k has supported local organisation, Malmesbury Town Team, to deliver Æthelstan 1100's The Big Dig - Revealing Malmesbury's Story. Working with archaeologists and historians, the project has engaged schools, volunteers and residents in a wide range of activities exploring the town's past. The Big Dig uncovered finds from every period of Malmesbury's history except Roman, including pottery from the time of Æthelstan.