Sheffield Castle: Archaeology, Archives, Regeneration 1927-2018
A brand new book documenting the history of Sheffield Castle, its excavations and the castle's relevance to the city of Sheffield in the modern day.
Now available as an Open Access monograph, free to read online or download. The archives on which the book is based are also freely available via the Archaeology Data Service. A physical copy is available to buy from White Rose University Press-
In Sheffield Castle: Archaeology, Archives, Regeneration, 1927-2018, written by Professor John Moreland from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Archaeology, Professor Dawn Hadley from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, and Ashley Tuck and Mili Rajic from Wessex Archaeology. the castle’s impressive history – largely unknown or ignored up until now – is brought to light for the first time and is placed right alongside some of Britain’s greatest castles.
The book, published by White Rose University Press, presents an original perspective on an urban castle, resurrecting from museum archives a building that once made Sheffield a nexus of power in medieval England, its lords playing important roles in local, national, and international affairs. Although largely demolished at the end of the English Civil War, the castle has left an enduring physical and civic legacy, and continues to exert a powerful sway over the present townscape, and future development, of Sheffield.
This book is a masterpiece. It illustrates how archaeological research can impact not only a great city, but give it cause for hope as it seeks a viable future in post-industrial times. Were prizes offered for impact in archaeology this project and the book would be a winner.
Richard Hodges OBE
President Emeritus of the American University of Rome and Professor of Archaeology at the University of East Anglia, UK
It is the first time that findings from all of the major excavations at the castle – conducted in the 1920s, 50s and 90s – have been published in one place. It also contains the results of the most recent excavations of Sheffield Castle led by Wessex Archaeology in 2018.
However, Sheffield Castle differs from most publications of medieval castles by setting the study within the context of urban regeneration. This regeneration narrative is both historical, addressing the ways in which successive building campaigns have encountered the castle remains, and current, as the future of the site is under active discussion following the demolition of the market hall built on the site in the 1960s. The team is now working with Sheffield City Council in the redevelopment of the Castlegate area of Sheffield to explore how best to use the city’s medieval heritage in future regeneration.
Moreland, J. and Hadley, D. (2020) Sheffield Castle: Archaeology, Archives, Regeneration, 1927–2018. York: White Rose University Press.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22599/SheffieldCastle
The book was made possible thanks to a generous donation from University of Sheffield alumna Pamela Staunton, and with the support of funding from the University Libraries of Sheffield and York. Access to the archives from past excavations was generously provided by Museums Sheffield.