Geoarchaeological fieldwork in Castlegate has been finished ahead of Sheffield City Council’s regeneration plans.
33 borehole surveys were conducted in specific locations in the area throughout the summer by archaeology specialists Wessex Archaeology.
The aim of the fieldwork is to increase knowledge of the site to influence the plans as well as provide a greater understanding of the area’s history
The work comes after the Council secured £20million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund last year to redevelop and re-establish Castlegate.
Milica Rajic, Infrastructure Director at Wessex Archaeology, said: “We’re so excited to be able to put even more pieces of this extraordinary underground historical jigsaw together.”
Wessex Archaeology have previously worked on the site in 2018 for an excavation project of the foundations of the old Sheffield Castle.
Martin Gorman, Chair of ‘Friends of Sheffield Castle,’ said: “We look forward to seeing the results from the recent borehole investigations on the Castle site.
“We hope the information will help decide how the Castle remains and historical layers will be incorporated into future plans.”
Since the demolition of Castle Market in 2015, Castlegate has gone from one of the more prosperous areas in Sheffield to becoming quite run-down and neglected.
The plans aim to turn it into a key part of the city once again.
Cllr Mazher Iqbal, Co-Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said: “This is another exciting step towards transforming Castlegate into a thriving part of the city centre.
“We are passionate about making Sheffield a flourishing and vibrant city and these plans are a crucial element to achieving our ambitions.
The Council’s overall vision for the area using the Government grant includes creating attractive green public spaces, preparing land for redevelopment in the future and introducing new art, music and creative facilities.
