Winchester holds an important place for the archaeological discipline in Britain. Not only was it the administrative and religious heart of the Kingdom of Wessex, it has also been at the forefront of methodological developments in urban archaeology. This volume derives from an English Heritage project, ‘Managing the Urban Archaeological Resource’, and is one of a number of similar works synthesising the archaeology of England's historic towns. The volume is the second part of a three-phase project to develop approaches to the management of Winchester's archaeological resource, the first being the creation of an Urban Archaeological Database and the third (forthcoming) being a management strategy.

The book divides broadly into three sections. The first presents an overview of archaeological work in Winchester, highlighting the significant contribution of individuals such as Sidney Ward-Evans, the first (self-proclaimed) city archaeologist, Frank Cottrill, the first full-time curator of Winchester Museum, and excavators including John Collis, Barry Cunliffe and Martin Biddle. This section helps the reader to understand the significant variations in archaeological recording and reporting present in work on the city, and it will be a valuable resource for both scholars of Winchester's archaeology and students seeking to learn about the development of urban archaeology in England.

The second section is very much the bulk of the volume, consisting of a series of chapters synthesising the archaeology of various periods from prehistory to the present day. Each section opens with a general summary of the period to place Winchester in a national and regional context. The prehistory section is comparatively brief as there is a scant (but ever increasing) body of evidence for occupation before the Iron Age. The Iron Age saw the development of the oppida of Oram's Arbour and also settlement on the fringes of the modern town. The summaries of other periods are more expansive, covering key issues of topography, architecture and the church, and using excavated material culture to summarise evidence for diet, trade and manufacturing. Some sections (but not all) end with a summary of future research potential, both through the use of existing archives and future excavation.

The volume is largely synthetic and descriptive in character, meaning that there is little scope for in-depth, critical discussion of key issues such as the nature of post-Roman continuity or later medieval urban ‘decline’, which are ongoing areas of research. The volume thus fills a large void in publications on the archaeology of Winchester, a result of the massive quantity of fieldwork undertaken which has meant that work has taken several decades to become widely available. For example, there is no published report on the medieval pottery from excavations within the city and a number of site reports are also forthcoming (the bibliography begins with a list of published and forthcoming reports, of which 11 are in the latter category). As a tool for managing the archaeology of Winchester and for stimulating further research the volume is, therefore, an invaluable addition to scholarship. One wonders, however, whether publication in printed monograph form is the most appropriate way of synthesising the archaeology of a city as complex as Winchester. A digital resource, which can be periodically updated and can interface directly with the city's Historic Environment Record, might be a more user-friendly and dynamic means of fulfilling this task, while also making Winchester's archaeology more accessible to a wider audience. Of course, such resources were barely imaginable when the project began in the 1990s, and there is scope for such research tools to be developed in the future.

The final section is more reflective in character, considering the strategy for managing the archaeological resource. There is also a lengthy consideration of Winchester's archaeology and the study of urbanism. Fundamentally, this discussion seeks to engage with the age-old debate about how we define an urban place and, by extension, the extent to which Winchester was an urban place in a given period. To my mind, this issue is a moot point. The reason that ‘urban’ has proved such a difficult concept to define is because it is entirely a matter of perspective and experience. Rather than seeking to consider Winchester's urbanity, a more satisfactory approach might have been to consider its complexity, to understand what elements of its social, cultural, economic and physical fabric persisted and what changed in relation to internal and external influences, rather than seeking to consider whether Winchester ever displayed some essential ‘urban-ness’.

The volume closes with two gazetteers, one of sites mentioned in the text, and one of sites and events featured in the Urban Archaeological Database. As with all gazetteers, these will be almost immediately out of date, but provide a useful set of information for the reader seeking to learn more about a specific site. The bibliography is also a valuable list of references, particularly ‘grey literature’ resulting from archaeological work undertaken through the planning process.

In sum, this weighty volume is certainly a valuable addition to scholarship on the archaeology of medieval Winchester. It summarises the archaeological resource, providing information not easily accessible elsewhere. While being largely descriptive, it signposts key areas for future research and most certainly fulfils its function as a tool for the management of Winchester's archaeology. It also has potential as a research tool, providing a baseline level of information that will help researchers set the trajectory of future research into Winchester's archaeology. My main reservation is less about the content of the book and more the medium chosen for publication. Although a well-produced and exceptionally illustrated book, in the twenty-first century its function may have been better served by a digital resource more able to keep up with the rapid pace of excavation and research within the city of Winchester.