DIGGING THE MIDDLEFIELD ESTATE, GAINSBOROUGH
In May 2016, the University of Lincoln joined up with residents on the Middlefield Estate in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, for a community excavation and to explore the history of the estate.
The community project was possible in partnership with housing manager ACIS and willing volunteers on the estate and at nearby Hillcrest Early Years Academy. The dig was funded by an AHRC grant for the Connected Communities Programme, exploring ideas about utopianism and the post-war council housing estate. Read More
AIMS
The project aimed to explore the history of the estate with residents, carry out test pit excavations in public spaces and residents’ gardens to tell us more about that history, and record memories about life on the estate.
See what we did, where we did it, and some of the things we found…
Details on the test pits and where they were located within the estate…
More about the dig as it happened – memories and thoughts from the excavation days…
More about the dig as it happened – memories and thoughts from the excavation days…
“Really enjoyed the dig, my children did too. Very interested in what we found. Looking forward to the next dig…”
Middlefield resident
“Enjoyed planning and helping to organise the digs at the school … children really enjoyed getting involved from the pre-school right up to year 2…”