Homeless Archaeology Programme

Submitted by Dan Hull on Fri, 2010-02-19 14:33
in

On Monday, BBC South-West will broadcast a programme about this innovative excavation project, funded by the CBA.

John Schofield of English Heritage has recently led a team of homeless people in a small-scale archaeological dig in a “ground-breaking” project in Bristol.

The excavation took place at Turbo Island, a busy traffic island in the heart of Bristol. The dig was part of a wider project looking into heritage and contemporary homelessness. Further details of the project will be published in more detail in issue 13 of British Archaeology magazine, due out in June. The inspiration for the dig arose from conversations between homeless people, English Heritage archaeologist John Schofield and Rachael Marmite, a Bristol-based urban archaeologist.

John Schofield said of the project:

This was archaeology at its very best - involving people who really wanted to be there, and who embraced the opportunity with great enthusiasm and good humour. Heritage can and should be for everyone, as this ongoing project has demonstrated.

The project was filmed by the BBC’s Inside Out West programme and will air on Monday 22 February at 7.30pm on BBC1. It will be available via the BBC iPlayer for a limited period afterwards.

The project received a CBA Challenge Funding grant. For more information about Challenge Funding and details of how to apply if you have a project that would enhance understanding of your local heritage, visit our Grants and Awards section.