Abstract

This report publishes the aims, methods and outcomes of an AHRC-funded archaeological project which in 2016 aimed to advance understanding of the history and heritage of post-war council estates by involving current residents in test pit excavations within the Middlefield Lane estate, Gainsborough, UK. Middlefield Lane was one of many new post-war British housing estates built to replace 19th century slums judged unfit for habitation with better quality housing using the 1928 ‘garden city’-inspired green-focussed plan of Radburn, New Jersey, US. The project provided new data about the pre-20th century use of the landscape the estate now occupies and also revealed an unusually high number of child-related finds from 20th century deposits. These show that the estate’s iconic greens were indeed used by children for outdoor play, thus constituting important evidence that the aspirations of its 1960s planners were achieved as intended. Feedback from estate residents participating in the excavations demonstrated a range of positive impacts that participation in the excavations had on skills and attitudes.