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WHO lived at number 57 Alexandra Road?
That's the question archaeologists at The University of Sheffield will be hoping to get to the bottom of – with a little help from members of the public.
They will be excavating the remains of the Victorian terrace house which lies buried beneath a field at Heeley City Farm.
A two-up two-down may seem like an unusual target for an archaeological dig but the project aims to unearth a typical Steel City home.
And volunteers of all ages are being urged to get involved and experience archaeological discovery at first hand.
The scheme is part of the Festival of British Archaeology fortnight and initial background research has provisionally identified the property as the former 57 Alexandra Road in Heeley, next to South Yorkshire Energy Centre.
The experts know the house was built around 1880 and demolished in the 1970s but they want local residents to step forward and fill in the blanks.
Dr James Symonds, director of archaeological research and consultancy at The University of Sheffield, came up with the idea and hopes it will provide insights into how life in Sheffield has changed in the 130 years since the house was built.
He said: "We are keen to see links to the energy agenda raised by our work, for example how different was life in a coal-burning uninsulated terraced house 100 years ago compared to the renovated, fully-insulated and energy-efficient terrace that is now the South Yorkshire Energy Centre?
"We would also like to explore food and packaging issues. How different was food and packaging 100 years ago, how has processed food and supermarket culture changed our approaches to food and shopping?"
Volunteers will be given full training and get the chance to dig, clean and catalogue the finds, but need to book in advance.
The team also needs to raise funds for the dig so offers of support from grant-giving organisations or other possible sponsors are welcome.
If you know who lived at number 57 or have memories of life in Alexandra Road before the demolitions of the 1970s, email Sally Rodgers, Heeley City Farm's Digging Our Roots Project Officer, at youngroots@heeleyfarm.org.uk or call 0114 303 9981.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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