Review of Peter Davies, Penny Crook and Tim Murray, An Archaeology of Institutional Confinement: The Hyde Park Barracks, 1848–1886

As a visitor to Sydney this reviewer has often gone to the Hyde Park Barracks and gazed at the excavation artefacts on display and thought of the research potential represented by these objects. This monograph represents a vital step towards understanding this unique collection of objects. Arising from the Exploring the Archaeology of the Modern City (EAMC) project, a joint
investigation between the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, the Archaeology Program at La Trobe University and the Australian Research Council this monograph represents the first detailed exploration of the artefact collection that is available to the historical archaeology community and the general public. Drawing on the expanded artefact catalogue that arose from this initial project, Crook, Davies and Murray explore the world of the Hyde Park Barracks when it housed an Immigration Depot (1848–1886)
and Destitute Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women (1862–1886). The former occupied levels 1 and 2 and the latter level 3.