Experts from Sheffield Castle are digging up the moat and drawbridge

Archaeologists excavating the site of Sheffield’s former castle have found part of a drawbridge and the remains of a potentially older fortress.

Wessex Archeology said experts also found part of Sheffield Castle’s moat and signs of interior design.

The discoveries were made during excavations for Sheffield Council’s Castlegate regeneration project.

The exposed drawbridge pier has been unseen for centuries, archaeologists said.

Ashley Tuck, lead archaeologist, said Sheffield Castle “continues to reveal its secrets”.

“In addition to discovering the impressive gates and drawbridge, we discovered parts of the castle walls that were previously unknown,” he said.

“The inner walls of the castle add to the picture of what this medieval power center would have looked like in its heyday.”