Archaeologists uncover defences from the English Civil War at Sheffield Castle site
A team of professional archaeologists has been unearthing the site of the former fort, in the Castlegate area.
Last updated 3rd Mar 2025
Archaeologists who have been unearthing the ruins of Sheffield Castle say they've unearthed the remains of defences dating back 400 years, to the English Civil War.
The wooden stakes would have formed a formidable defensive ring around the fort, in the Castlegate area, as it was besieged by Parliamentarian forces.
The four stakes were found in the former moat of the castle, which was demolished around 1647.
It's believed they were well preserved because they were submerged in mud, which prevented them from decaying.
Ashley Tuck, the archaeologist leading the dig on behalf of Wessex Archaeology, said: “So often we are told about Civil War defences like abatises being used at historic properties across the country, but usually there is little to see of these important features."
"To be able to hold the very wood to which the defenders of Sheffield Castle trusted their lives is extraordinary. Records show that the castle finally succumbed to Parliamentarian forces after a 10-day siege in August 1644.
"We know that these timbers and the abatis they formed were ultimately unsuccessful in protecting the castle from being destroyed, but they paint a picture of the brutalities of the war and add to our understanding of this turbulent period in Sheffield’s past.”
The site of the former castle is being unearthed as part of the Castlegate regeneration project, which will see the area turned into a new park.