An exhibition exploring the history of Caribbean prisoners of war held at Portchester Castle is now open.

The Speaking to Maps exhibition, featuring new artwork created by students from Priory School and Portsmouth Grammar School, can be seen at the castle until December 8.

Working with artists Eva Jonas and Maya Brasington, students investigated the complex history of the Caribbean prisoners, who were held at the castle in the late 18th century.

The exhibition is housed as an installation within the castle, with students' work displayed on layered fabric in two wooden structures.

The layers of fabric allow visitors to see through webs of creative processes in light, shadow, rubbings, and traces, echoing the rediscovery of remnants of the past.

A third wooden structure showcases mapping done by students, creating a collaborative map that emphasises a sensory method of 'feeling out' and encountering a space steeped in colonial history.

Eva and Maya said: "We invited students to bring a thoughtful approach by considering how lived experiences inform historical understanding. We wove this awareness into our ‘creative gathering processes’, making and recording traces of hidden, sensitive and untold histories held within heritage sites.

"We recognised that inviting students to respond to the castle with its sensitive history should be held with consideration of the ethics of creatively engaging with history through photography.

"Professor Kate Astbury, whose research team has uncovered the history of the Caribbean men, women and children brought to the castle as prisoners of war, said: "I'm so pleased that we're able to showcase the work that Eva and Maya did in the two schools as an exhibition - the students got so much out of the project and their work will hopefully inspire others to look at the site with fresh eyes. "

Using fragments of findings based on the geography of the site, the students’ work reflects on traditional western notions of cartography.

It instead presents ideas of history as ever-evolving, acknowledging gaps that remain unseen, untold, and lost.

The exhibition is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm.