Remains of a medieval tower discovered at Auckland Castle

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a three- or four-storey tower dating to the mid-1300s at Auckland Castle in Co. Durham, a medieval bishops’ residence.

Photo: Alexander Jansen, Department of Archaeology, Durham University.

The team, from Durham University’s Department of Archaeology, working in partnership with archaeologists and volunteers from The Auckland Project, found the tower’s steps and stone foundations, as well as the walls of the cellar, including traces of a barrel-vaulted ceiling.

Durham University’s Professor Chris Gerrard said: ‘The documentary sources are patchy for this period, and we only begin to find images of the site from the late 1600s. Through this excavation, we have gained a huge amount of knowledge about the layout and extent of the medieval complex.’