It's Wednesday, so there must be an archæologist in a well.
That's just the way we roll around here.
This is the third well discovered at the castle. The earliest one, used by the workmen on the original Norman build was discovered just outside the bridge and excavated as part of the Castle Mall works.
The main, flint-lined Royal Palace well was uncovered by Boardman in the 1880s and remains a much-loved part of the keep.
A long-conjectured third well, from around 1300, when Eddie Longshanks built his new palace against the north wall and started storing prisoners in the keep was uncovered and explored during our extended Lockdown Dig.
The top part had been re-lined with brick, probably by Wilkins as part of the panopticon prison build, and the well had been used as a soakaway.
Cleaned and safely capped and vented it now provides a seating area for a happy smiley archæologist, complete with a convenient echoey shouting tube.
6 comments:
It's wonderful that you keep finding cool stuff even now, after all this time.
They dragged a lot of stinky stuff out before they capped the well, Petrea. Unfortunately it'll only be gaol era rubbish but it's still got to be dried and sifted through. Who knows what they might find?
Monthly progress meeting today so hopefully some more news soon.
I know that serious archaeological work is going on, but this stuff cracks me up: Cleaned and safely capped and vented it now provides a seating area for a happy smiley archæologist, complete with a convenient echoey shouting tube. Looking forward to what comes next! xoxo
You gotta admit, that shouting tube is soooo tempting! I did the "Full speed ahead, sir" from Yellow Submarine. xoxo
Damn I should have been an archaeologist! Sigh.
They have all the fun. Playing in the dirt and getting paid for it.
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