What’s next
The results of the project will add value to many people: residents of Cookham and neighbouring towns and villages, visitors to Cookham, historians, archaeologists, and students of all ages. We are building a plan for outreach to engage with all of these stakeholders. We want our findings to enhance the lives of residents of Cookham, neighbouring communities and visitors.
There is a lot of interest in the dig: in the four weeks of 2025’s excavation, over 1,900 people visited the site. Many were local, from Cookham, Maidenhead, Slough and neighbouring areas, but we also welcomed holidaymakers and river users from other parts of the UK and overseas. The first week of the dig was in school term-time, and we hosted school visits for over 360 children.
We are building links with other aspects of Cookham’s historical, artistic and environmental past and present. The archaeology of Cookham Abbey is part of a rich cultural and natural heritage, and we are proud to play a part in it.
Using archaeology to empower local communities.
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More than 1900 people visited the dig in 2025.
Future digs
The 2026 dig season will start in July. You’ll be able to book visits at TicketSource.
The excavation programme has been extended for another four years with the permission and goodwill of the Parochial Church Council, which owns Paddock Field next to Holy Trinity Church.
For schools
The Anglo-Saxons are an element in Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum.
We are working with Salt Hill VR to develop immersive augmented reality experiences of the dig. This has been piloted successfully with several local schools and children’s groups.
We have had a wonderful and incredibly busy year on the community engagement front and have worked with primary schools from Cookham, Maidenhead, Windsor, Marlow and London. Our workshops have been lively and action-packed and have included a presentation from our fabulous University of Reading student team followed by a carousel of activities, including pupils touching some of the finds, speaking to an osteo-archaeologist, listening to stories from the Cookham Chronicler, doing a VR tour of the dig, playing some educational games, interviewing an archaeologist and being taught about the Anglo-Saxon flute that was found at last year’s dig. It has all been very exciting and I know that the whole team is very proud of what we have achieved!
If you would like the Friends of Cookham Abbey team to deliver a workshop or assembly at your school or for your community group, please email our Community Engagement Manager.
Community outreach
We’re developing an outreach programme for local interest groups, Cookham residents and visitors.
We aim to reach groups and communities who find it difficult to visit the dig, or who feel archaeology ‘isn’t for them’.
Financial support
Friends of Cookham Abbey will continue to give financial and practical support to the project.
The cost of conserving and lab analysis of Anglo-Saxon finds is about £20,000 each season.
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