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An aerial photo showing progress on the site on 2 July 2024
The excavation by Wessex Archaeology was completed on 20 June, bringing the archaeological dig to a close. This has been the biggest excavation of Sheffield Castle to date, revealing new parts of the medieval castle that were previously unknown. More details on this are below.
The site of the archaeological dig at Sheffield Castle
Six large pre-cast concrete culverts were delivered to site and lifted into place by a 200-tonne crane that sat on Exchange Street.
The idea of these box culverts is to create an underpass so there is access at a lower level between the development plots on Exchange Street and Waingate.
The future park will have a path that links Waingate with Castlegate (the street).
Six box culverts joined together to form a future underpass
Concrete and demolition rubble that has been gained from site activities have been put through a crusher to produce a smaller aggregate that has been used to fill up certain areas of the site.
This will help create the raised path connecting Waingate with Castlegate (mentioned above) as well as helping to meet the levels required for the main works. This should be completed in July.
Reused rubble from the site will help to build future paths
Smaller works including filling the canopy-like structure on the corner of Waingate and Exchange Street with foamed concrete have also been completed.
The roof slab has been demolished to allow space for services like water and electricity in the finished works.
Earthworks have been completed as much as possible on the east side of the site and a new access ramp has been constructed through the site of the old Market Tavern pub.
The previously constructed concrete ramp next to the Mudford’s building has been temporarily suspended due to the archaeological findings discovered at the foot of this ramp.
A new access ramp at the Sheffield Castle site
A representation of the final levels of the new park
In the next couple of months, we will finish the earthworks to get the site to the correct levels required for the main works.
This will look something like the image above, where the culvert over the River Sheaf is on the right in purple.
Material is being removed from the top of the River Sheaf culvert
The main focus will be the removal of the first section of the River Sheaf culverts.
This will involve removing the lid and its supporting ribs and then eventual restoration – all whilst meeting the requirements of the Environment Agency and ecological groups.
The currently hidden River Sheaf will be opened up at the bottom of the new park
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Archaeologist Rhiannon trowels back deposits to reveal part of the eastern gatehouse tower. ©Wessex Archaeology
Wessex Archaeology made more thrilling discoveries towards the end of the Sheffield Castle dig.
During the 12-week excavation, the remains of the eastern and western towers were finally exposed along with the drawbridge plinth (the platform from which the wooden drawbridge was hinged and lowered) and the drawbridge pier.
The team also discovered never-before-seen castle structures on the western side of the motte.
Better preserved than other structures excavated at the site, the new castle wall formed part of an interior range, making up a building behind the exterior defensive wall.
Wessex Archaeology will continue to have a constant presence on site during the main construction works.
The new castle wall formed part of an interior range and is better preserved than other structures excavated at the site ©Wessex Archaeology
Site tours were attended by 281 locals, and 88 members of the community took part in the on-site excavation experiences.
If you missed out on the tours, head over to the Heritage Open Days website. When booking opens in mid-August, you can book a spot on the final round of tours taking place this September.
A range of specialist talks and school sessions led by Wessex Archaeology will also be taking place throughout the year. To find out more, watch videos and read about the discoveries, visit the Wessex Archaeology website.
It has been fantastic to see remains of the castle revealed as part of the 12-week excavation by Wessex, some for the first time in 400 years, and we expect these remains will be on public display as part of the completed landscaped park currently under construction.
We know that much of the remains of the castle have gone following its demolition in the 17th century, and then construction of Castle Markets and Castlegate (the street). However, there are substantial remains which do still exist in other parts of the site.
Whilst there will be no more excavations for now, the park is only the first phase of plans for the site, and we are already in dialogue with the Council to try to raise funding to daylight additional known remains inside the underground chamber on the north-east corner of the site.
It is important to bear in mind that the current design of the park allows for the opportunity to investigate other areas of the site in the future. We have a particular interest in the stretch that runs parallel to Castlegate behind the wall, where remains have been found in the 1970s, 2001, and most recently 2018. Funding will need to be secured for further archaeological work, and we look forward to working with all parties to achieve this.
Castlegate Festival 2024
Crowds enjoying live music at Castlegate Festival
Castlegate Festival is back - and it's going to be bigger and better than ever!
The heritage, arts, and music festival is coming to Castlegate from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 September.
The full festival programme will be available from the link below in mid August.
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