Archaeological findings lead to redesign of Sheffield’s Castlegate
The regeneration of the area includes the creation of a park, the opening up of the River Sheaf, and displaying previously hidden parts of the 11th century Sheffield Castle.
Following a dig at the site by Wessex Archaeology, the council is reviewing the design and amending it to ensure the long-term preservation of the remains.
At tomorrow’s Transport, Regeneration, and Climate committee meeting, the council will be asked to extend the proposed work, which includes plans to showcase parts of the castle for the first time in centuries, an events space reminiscent of the 17th century bowling green believed to have been on site, and opening up the River Sheaf so that it is visible and not just underground.
With a budget of £21m, the ‘Castle Project’ will now need an estimated £5m extra to account for the redesign and is not expected to complete until late 2026.
The Council is working with heritage consultants South Yorkshire Archaeology Service, Historic England, and Friends of Sheffield Castle on the scheme.
Discoveries on site have included:
- Previously unknown stone structures on the south side of the motte. These were probably built during or after the reconstruction of around 1270 following the Second Baron’s War
- The remains of the east and west towers of the gatehouse of the castle (probably constructed starting in 1270), with the drawbridge abutments
- The moat of the stone castle exposed
- A 12.5m-deep well, probably Medieval (with water at the bottom)
- 18th/19th Century slaughterhouses
- Wooden Civil War stakes
- Remains of two cementation steelmaking furnaces, unusual as they shared a single chimney and were built into material surviving from the castle
Ashley Tuck, lead archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, said: “Uncovering the remains of this remarkable site has been an honour and I, like many other Sheffielders, am excited that elements of the castle’s remains will be displayed in the park in due course.
“We look forward to continuing to support the council to realise its vision, which places the heritage of our great city at the heart of regeneration plans for Castlegate.
Cllr Ben Miskell, chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “It has been amazing to see more and more artefacts from the birthplace of Sheffield being uncovered.
“We congratulate Wessex Archaeology on all their hard work to discover all that they have found so far.
“The Castlegate regeneration project has always been about bringing some of that history to life, putting it on display for people to see and enjoy while using this brand new city centre park we are developing.
“We know how much the history of this site means to people and that is why we want to see this project to continue to bring fascinating and historically important results.”
