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A team from Wessex Archaeology – working with FlyThru, a commercial drone company – have recently conducted a survey of a medieval well, once a vital source of water for Sheffield Castle’s Norman motte.
The well was discovered during Wessex Archaeology’s latest phase of excavations on the site, but at 41ft (12.5m) deep, it was not safe for archaeologists to descend into the shaft, making it difficult to properly document its remains. Instead, FlyThru were brought in to conduct a drone survey, in order to create a 3D model of the well’s interior and reveal more details about its construction. The drone, encased within a cage for its protection, showed that the well is lined with stones at the top and cuts through solid bedrock at the bottom, attesting to the engineering ingenuity of the period in which it was dug. It is also still operational all these centuries later, as the survey discovered water at its base.
This work forms just part of a larger investigation by Wessex Archaeology, carried out in advance of Sheffield City Council’s Castlegate Regeneration Project, which is funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Wessex have been working on the site since 2016 and excavating since 2018, documenting the archaeology of the once-lost castle (see CA 351 and CA 414). This particular project began in 2024, and many of the uncovered features will be able to be viewed in situ as part of the new regeneration project, allowing people to appreciate the fortification fully for the first time since its demolition in 1648.
Ashley Tuck, research manager at Wessex Archaeology, said: ‘This was an exciting day at Sheffield Castle. The medieval well would have been indispensable for the people who lived and worked in the castle day-to-day and especially during times of siege. With an attacking army outside the castle walls, those inside would have needed water within the castle boundaries for their survival.’
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Images: Wessex Archaeology
