Further discoveries have been made in the western part of the castle, within the area occupied by the hall. Slots have been located, which may represent the foundations of a rectangular, timber building that stood on the site before the hall was built. A substantial zone of burning (described in the 21st June 1999 update) would lie within this structure. An area of cobbling near the north-western corner of the hall appears, upon excavation, to be the fill of a shallow cut or pit.

Another recent discovery is a large post-pad in the northern corner of the castle, where three other post-pads had been uncovered last summer (see the phase plan in the 13th June 1999 update). These features may represent the corners of a building 5-6 metres long and of about the same width, or it may be possible that this evidence represents part of a larger structure.

A series of photographs of the 1978 excavation across the inner moat has recently come to light, showing some details of the trench opened in that year. The photographs indicate that the waterlogged timber surviving in the moat had previously been lifted out of its position. This being so, we also lifted it temporarily, enabling a thorough examination and recording of its surface features. Pollen samples have been taken from the moat sediments this summer, too. The analysis of these will provide information about the origin and nature of the sediments, and about the types of vegetation around the site in centuries past.

This summer's work has enabled us to add a great deal of additional detail to the castle's ground plan as revealed last summer. We have also been able to identify evidence of building activity on the castle mound pre-dating the stone buildings.

LATEST FINDS

VISITORS