A STUNNING image of what Sheffield Castle’s gatehouse might have looked like in the 13th century has been presented to the Lord Mayor by a local history enthusiast.
Coun Sylvia Dunkley received the picture from Ron Clayton, who is campaigning for the castle remains - which lie beneath the Castle Markets site - to be excavated.
The castle was built in 1270 but was knocked down in the late 1640s.
An excavation led by Leslie Armstrong in 1927 uncovered the base of one of the gateway bastion towers, as well as part of the gateway itself.
The remains, which are Grade II listed, are preserved under Castle Market and open for viewing.
More recent excavations in 1999 and 2001 by ARCUS, Sheffield University’s archaeological research and consultancy unit, revealed the castle to have been much larger than previously was thought - and that it could have been among the largest medieval castles in England.
The image of the gatehouse given to Coun Dunkley was computer-generated by Prof Dawn Hadley, of Sheffield University’s Department of Archaeology.
Coun Dunkley said: “I would like to thank Ron for this amazing image, which will look great in the Parlour.
“Along with people like Ron, I have been a strong advocate of making the most of the castle ruins.
“Anything we can do to ensure the people of Sheffield don’t forget this buried treasure is very welcome.”
Plans are in the pipeline to have the ruins fully excavated once Castle Market is demolished after stalls are moved to the new markets building on the Moor in 2013.
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