Digging for Erlestoke is a community archaeology project with a difference, and the people at the heart of this project are men from HMP Erlestoke, a  category C prison in Erlestoke, Wiltshire. It took place from June 2023 – May 2024.

Made possible by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the knowledge and expertise of the Wessex Archaeology team, it was designed to give the men taking part, and wider prison community, access to archaeology.

This exhibition celebrates the journey, outputs and impact of the project, showcasing the role archaeology can play in improving the wellbeing of people in unconventional settings. The exhibition will include documentary evidence of the research process, artefacts uncovered during the recent dig and those from the 1963 dig, artistic interpretation of the discoveries and first-hand accounts and interpretations of what it was like to take part in the project, believed to be the first of its kind.