Ashley Tuck (Wessex Archaeology, winner of Rescue Project of the Year 2025) - credit Adam Stanford, www.adam-stanford.co.uk
Ashley Tuck (Wessex Archaeology, winner of Rescue Project of the Year 2025) [Photo credit Adam Stanford, www.adam-stanford.co.uk\]
A community-centred excavation revealing the long-hidden remains of Sheffield Castle has taken home a coveted prize at the annual Current Archaeology Awards.
Long before the white heat of the Industrial Revolution forged Sheffield into the ‘City of Steel’, its landscape was dominated by an imposing Norman castle, built to guard a strategic double river-crossing where the waters of the Sheaf and Don meet.
Today known as the ‘birthplace of Sheffield’ due to its status as the earliest-known element of the core settlement, the castle had a long and colourful history. In 1570 it served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots, and during the English Civil War it was seized by both sides, endured a ten-day siege, and was then reduced to ruins as a symbol of Royalist defeat.
Its crumbling remains were gradually plundered for nearby building projects, and the site of the castle was ultimately swallowed up the city’s urban evolution, becoming buried beneath a succession of industrial and commercial structures. For many years, the castle completely vanished from view – but now excavations carried out by Wessex Archaeology, as part of Sheffield City Council’s Castlegate Regeneration Project, have brought impressive elements of the fortifications to light once more, as well as tracing the site’s post-medieval story.
The archaeological investigations, which also strove to engage the local community and restore a sense of pride and identity to an area of the city which had fallen into decline, have now been recognised with a prestigious archaeological award, after coming top in a public vote. The trophy was presented by Julian Richards, an archaeologist and educator best-known for presenting the BBC’s Meet the Ancestors, at the annual Current Archaeology Live! conference in London on 1 March. Held in partnership with the UCL Institute of Archaeology, this year’s event hosted a record audience, with at least 600 in attendance at UCL’s Institute of Education.
Ashley Tuck, who led the excavations for Wessex Archaeology, said: ‘I’m made up that Sheffield Castle has won the award for Rescue Project of the Year. The award is currently on my desk and I keep showing it to everyone on video calls. Archaeology is a team activity and this has never been more true than at Sheffield Castle. Winning the award has provided a moment to think about all the people who contributed to the work and it is a large number, both across Wessex Archaeology and beyond: Sheffield City Council, Aureos (formerly Keltbray), the Friends of Sheffield Castle, the University of Sheffield and external specialists among others. My heart is in the act of putting a trowel in the ground so I am particularly grateful for the contribution of the diggers, led by myself, Luke Roberts, Owen Jenkins, and Viktoria Halldórsdóttir. Also machine operator Steve Mellor.
‘Sheffield Castle was the birthplace of what is now famous as a great city of the industrial age. But back in the years after the Norman Conquest it would have been a lonely power centre controlling the confluence of the rivers in the foothills of the Peak District. The castle grew into one of the largest in northern England before being slighted during the Civil War. The remains including gatehouse, walls, well, and even the motte were then buried and lost in the urban landscape. I think in post-industrial Sheffield the castle is key to the meaning and identity of the people who live and work here. It seems like everyone wants to talk about the castle, and that has been reflected by the intense public interest in tours, talks and volunteer participation. It has been a great privilege to work on this project and to put the tangible remains of the castle back on public display. On the way back from Current Archaeology Live! I stood on the Doncaster railway platform surrounded by exuberant youths singing football chants. I can’t help with the league, but we did bring this trophy back to South Yorkshire.’
This year’s Rescue Project of the Year Award was sponsored by Peter Sommer Travels.
Notes for Editors: Current Archaeology Awards
Wessex Archaeology’s excavations on the site of Sheffield Castle featured in issue 414 of Current Archaeology: https://the-past.com/feature/from-stronghold-to-steel-city-uncovering-the-birthplace-of-sheffield
The Current Archaeology Awards celebrate the people, publications, and projects that have made an outstanding contribution to archaeology, and have featured in the pages of CA over the previous 12 months.
This year’s Rescue Project of the Year Award was sponsored by Peter Sommer Travels.
The Rescue Project Award recognises developer-led excavations, and those that have taken place on sites affected by erosion, climate change, or other natural forces.
Current Archaeology is the UK’s leading archaeology magazine, covering the latest archaeological discoveries in the UK and Ireland since 1967.
More information about the Awards, including the nominees and winners in all categories, can be found at www.archaeology.co.uk/vote