Visitors got hands-on insights into the past at an event in Bath.
The Festival of Archaeology at Prior Park Landscape Garden helped to take people back in time by letting them touch and handle archaeological objects.
The festival, run by the National Trust in partnership with B&NES Council's Heritage Services, was also a chance for people to see the restored wilderness area and Serpentine Lake in the grounds of the house built for 18th century entrepreneur Ralph Allen.
Visitors could also see Mrs Allen's Grotto – created by Allen's wife in 1745 with pig or sheep knucklebones used to mark out patterns on the floor, before ammonites, pine cones, shells and minerals were added.
Archaeologist Marek Lewcun said the grotto was a real piece of history.
He said: "We have done a lot of restoration work here and it is wonderful that people can experience here what it would have been like.
"The grotto has a mosaic with a sunburst design leading to ammonites and would have been a beautiful place.
"The longer-term plan is to put a canopy over it and preserve it as a piece of archaeology and protect it for future generations.
"In archaeology you just never know what you are going to find. Sometimes you will have an inkling but you never know what it is going to look like.
"This is our chance to actually show what it was like and share that with the general public.
The Barrett family from Bath were among those visiting the historic gardens. Mum Katharine, dad Alan and eight-year-old son Arthur said they'd enjoyed the day out.
Mr Barrett said: "We wanted to see how it has changed."
