Paper short abstract:

Ruins offer a liminal space for things which can't happen at home or in public. Graffiti is used to understand some of this.

Paper long abstract:

Archaeologists are often interested in ruins for what they represent. They either stand for the buildings that once occupied the place, or they stand for our attitude to the past. But for many people they are liminal spaces, neither public nor private; now nor then. This makes them perfect places for lovers, but also for anyone feeling on the edge. The presence of graffiti reflects this status, and potentially some of the ways in which the site is used.

A graffiti survey of Netley Abbey has highlighted some of the patterns in activity at this site over the last two hundred years. It shows that unique position the site has had in many lives and highlights transformations that the liminality has made possible.