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.”

Inside the moat, a mid-16th-century Nuremberg Jetton was discovered, contemporaneous with the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots in the castle by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

Mr Tuck said new evidence of a possible earlier and undocumented castle had been discovered in the moat area.

He said: “This is on the front page of Sheffield’s story and it’s a privilege to rewrite the opening of the city’s story.”

The Castlegate area of ​​Sheffield dates back to the 11th century and Sheffield Castle is widely regarded as the birthplace of the city.

The council plans to display the remains of the castle for the first time in centuries and create a brand new public space on the site of the old Castle Square.

An events space will be built on what is believed to be the site of a 17th-century bowling green, and the River Sheaf which is currently underground at that point will be opened up, displaying the remains of the castle.

The council’s Ben Miskell said the Castlegate site was “really shaping up to be an incredible public space”.

“We are uncovering pieces of Sheffield’s history that we didn’t know existed before, giving us a fantastic insight into how our ancestors lived and used the site.

“The whole project will give the city something very unique, taking Sheffield back to its beginnings all those centuries ago.”