Sheffield Castle

Wessex Archaeology provided Sheffield City Council with a range of archaeological services as part of the ongoing Castlegate regeneration project. Overseen by construction specialists Aureos (formerly Keltbray International Limited), this major project will see the historic Castlegate area of Sheffield transformed into an inner-city green space. 

The Castlegate site was once home to Sheffield Castle, which has mostly lain hidden underground for more than 400 years. Hailed as the birthplace of the city, elements of the castle’s remains will be permanently displayed as part of the new public park. 

Our investigations on-site have revealed previously undocumented remains from this important medieval stronghold as well as remains of the city’s rich industrial heritage. A significant part of Sheffield’s history, the archaeological work fuelled a huge amount of excitement within the city that we nurtured through a range of engagement opportunities.

Providing early-stage archaeological services to inform planning 

In 2018, to inform plans for the site, we undertook trial trenching and a geoarchaeological borehole survey. We excavated 11 trenches over a nine-week period, a complex undertaking as all trenches had to be excavated to depths of up to 6m below ground level, which required specialist shoring, fall restraint equipment and stepping of the trenches to facilitate the process. These investigations provided a first opportunity to understand the archaeology of the site and determine the level of preservation of the castle remains as well as later industrial development.

The results enabled the client to develop their plans for the design of the park and informed further archaeological work. The findings were published in a series of specialist reports, including an evaluation report, a post-excavation assessment and a geoarchaeological report and were included in the academic book, Sheffield Castle: Archaeology, Archives, Regeneration, 1927-2018, published by White Rose University Press in 2020.  

Our geospatial experts subsequently led further targeted survey using non-invasive Ground Penetrating Radar technology.

Detailed open-area excavation unearths Sheffield’s rich history 

In March 2024, we returned to the site to deliver a 12-week set piece excavation for the project, the most extensive excavation of the castle’s remains to date. A team of up to 15 archaeologists worked hand-in-hand with construction experts from Keltbray, often having to overcome the challenges of removing extensive concrete and metal foundations left over from the 20th century market. Our excavation revealed large, undocumented sections of Sheffield Castle, including a well, elements of the gatehouse, the moat, the drawbridge abutments and interior and exterior castle walls.    

Our archaeologists also found evidence of post-medieval activity, including a bowling green, a slaughterhouse, 18th century housing and a passageway which features on historic maps. They also discovered elements of the 19th century steelworks that used to operate on the site, including a cellar staircase and crucible furnaces. Given the importance of the findings and the opportunity to display them to the public, remains have all been recorded and the most significant preserved in situ. 

As well as detailed digital recording of the archaeology on tablets, our geospatial experts used drone equipment to capture photographic surveys of the site, which were used to create photogrammetry models. 

Our experts worked closely with a range of stakeholders, including local authority planning archaeologists, Historic England and a project-specific heritage advisory board, led by the council with input from academic and community stakeholder groups. The rate of discoveries on site required constant and careful discussions and negotiations to keep the programme and budget on track whilst ensuring the archaeology was recorded to the highest standard. We maintained positive relationships throughout, by being available for each party, and open and transparent about our work.

Following this main phase of excavation, our archaeologists remained on site to conduct small-scale targeted excavations and monitor the construction work through a continuous watching brief. This was followed by a four-week open area excavation that revealed further, previously unknown castle remains. 

A real community effort

In partnership with Keltbray, Sheffield City Council, South Yorkshire Archaeological Service and community stakeholder groups, we designed a programme of community and public engagement activities to run alongside the archaeological work. This engagement was an opportunity to channel and feed the high levels of interest in this project but also improve participant well-being, deepen people’s connection with their local heritage and transfer knowledge. 

A key aspect of this engagement was an opportunity for local people to take part in the excavations for up to three days. The level of interest was staggering with all 89 places selling out in minutes. Activities were tailored to each person’s abilities and included trowelling, digging, drawing and completing archaeological records. Throughout their time on site, participants were accompanied by an archaeological supervisor and engagement officer to provide a safe and enriching learning experience and ensure the quality of the work undertaken. 

“The leaders on the dig were really lovely and made us all feel very welcome,” revealed one participant. “We had clear instructions on what to do and they guided us expertly through our different tasks. It was fascinating listening to all the different facts and information during our dig and I enjoyed learning about our city’s history.”

Along with the dig participation opportunities, we offered site tours on weekends and weekdays and talks to audiences across the community, including school children and local archaeological groups, tailoring each talk accordingly. 

Throughout the project, we employed the skills of our engagement, creative and communications experts to engage the public. This included creating regular, multi-media content for digital channels, comprising videos and blogs, engaging local, national and trade media and producing weekly posters for site hoardings that revealed the latest on-site discoveries.