The archaeological excavation of 900-year old Auckland Castle, County Durham, has revealed some surprising details about the former home of the Prince Bishops of Durham.
Experts have announced the discovery of a number of rare and unexpected artefacts, and revealed the previously unknown scale of the building, which appears to have a much larger footprint than the Castle that stands today.
The five-month dig centred on the site of the Castle’s Scotland Wing – ahead of its development into a new museum extension that is part of a major transformation of Auckland Castle.
The museum wing will restore the atmosphere of the early medieval enclosed spaces revealed by the dig, and will look to reflect the medieval archaeology within the layout and design of the enclosed garden, created to the south of the Scotland Wing.
One of the key discoveries has been the original location of the Western and Southern sides of the medieval Castle’s curtain wall, revealing the imprint of a network of impressive buildings that point to a significantly larger original castle structure than the present one.
Archaeologists have unearthed fragments of the former perimeter walls still standing to a height of up to one metre below the soil in some places.
This surprising discovery expands the scale of the site substantially and would appear to suggest that Auckland Castle was not created as a Manor House for the Prince Bishops of Durham as previously thought, but that it has always stood as a large castle complex.
This hypothesis is supported by the discovery of a pillared gatehouse area and majestic staircase, revealed through the excavation process – these spaces are thought to date back to the 13th or 14th century.
An additional long room, dating between the 15th and 17th century, has also been unearthed, with its four large fireplaces indicating that it was once a busy kitchen serving the residents of Auckland Castle.
These impressive spaces would most certainly have been befitting of the private palace of the Prince Bishop of Durham; the second most powerful man in the country after the King of England, with immense political power on both a national and international stage.
The discovery has helped the Archaeological Services team and volunteers to build up a picture of what life would have been like at Auckland Castle – particularly in the time of Prince Bishop, Anthony Bek.
Bek served as Bishop of Durham 1283-1311, and was a key figure in Medieval England. As a seminal figure in the life of Auckland Castle, Bek – alongside other Prince Bishops such as Wolsey and Van Mildert – is noted in history as a man who shaped the landscape of British faith and politics at a formative moment in history.
His tenure at Auckland Castle saw the palace developed to befit his status and the excavation hints at the opulent environment Bek would have enjoyed in his role.
Peter Carne, Manager of Archaeological Services Durham University said: “The building works at Auckland Castle have enabled an unprecedented amount of archaeological excavation and research into the Castle and its grounds.
“By piecing together the surviving foundations, it is possible to reconstruct the plan of the Castle in the medieval period, and how it has been adapted and changed through the following centuries. The massive scale and importance of the Castle in the past has really become apparent.”
A trove of rare artefacts has also been discovered during the dig, including two Roman items; an ornate coin and a detailed copper figurine.
Other fascinating finds include pottery and bone dating from the medieval period onwards, as well as a collection of pins, window glass, medieval silver pennies, an iron key and even a thimble.
To find out more about the excavation and the ongoing research on the artefacts and findings at Auckland Castle, please visit www.aucklandcastle.org.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
