A 10-week archaeological excavation at Sheffield Castle is beginning as part of Sheffield City Council’s Castlegate regeneration project. The work, overseen by construction engineering specialists Keltbray, is intended to uncover and preserve sections of the castle’s medieval gatehouse for permanent display in a new public park.
Wessex Archaeology said the team will excavate and record about six metres of archaeological deposits. The investigation is expected to reach remains associated with the castle’s history from the 11th through the 17th centuries, including the period when Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned there by Elizabeth I in the late 16th century.
Among the features being sought are the substantial foundations of the gatehouse’s circular towers, the moat and a pier connected with the drawbridge. The excavation will also examine evidence from later episodes at the site, including deposits linked to the destruction of the original motte-and-bailey castle by John D’Eyvill in the 13th century and remains associated with Civil War sieges involving Royalist and Parliamentarian forces.
The site also preserves evidence of Sheffield’s industrial history. Archaeologists expect to investigate remains from steelworks that operated there from the early 19th century and contributed to the city’s growth.
Ashley Tuck, the archaeologist leading the excavation, said the castle had been a centre of power for more than 600 years before being left in ruins by Parliamentarians at the end of the Civil War. Tuck said the project would help researchers investigate the site’s history and bring the remains back into public view.
The castle has been investigated previously. Archaeologists uncovered parts of it during work in the 1920s and during reconstruction following the Second World War. Wessex Archaeology carried out trial excavations in 2018, revealing glimpses of the moat and castle remains. The current project is described as the most extensive excavation yet undertaken at the site.
Researchers will use modern archaeological methods and scientific techniques to study the gatehouse and other remains, including areas that have not previously been excavated. The work is intended to provide further information about the castle’s construction, its occupants and the historical events associated with it.
During April and May 2024, members of the public are invited to attend open days and take part in some excavation activities. The project is part of a regeneration scheme intended to make sections of the castle visible again after more than four centuries hidden from public view.
