- Hidden treasures revealed as we dig into castle’s history
- Major £1.9m project includes £1.7m funding from Arts Council England
- Work will protect and preserve castle for future generations
Tamworth Borough Council’s major £1.9m restoration project to protect Tamworth Castle for future generations is uncovering a trove of hidden treasures, each revealing new and exciting clues into the ancient building’s 1000-year past.
Centuries-old pottery, animal bones, a hand-crafted lead-lined sink and a mysterious carving are among the discoveries so far as specialist contractors explore parts of the castle that haven’t been seen for generations.
The careful removal of modern alterations and detailed excavations are revealing more about how the castle was built, adapted and used by the people who lived and worked there throughout its rich history.
Supported by £1,716,238 from Arts Council England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), and £190,695 from Tamworth Borough Council, the restoration is part of an ongoing commitment to care for the castle and the exhibits it houses, to make sure its legacy lives on.
Medieval pottery and animal bones
One of the most significant discoveries was made during work to repair and replace the ancient drainage system underneath the modern kitchen area.
Before a route could be created for the new pipes, trial pits were dug under the supervision of archaeologist Will Mitchell, from the University of Huddersfield. Every layer of soil was carefully examined so anything of archaeological interest could be identified and recorded.
This uncovered a haul of ceramic pieces and animal bone fragments, mostly concentrated in an area west of the Great Hall believed to have been the site of a medieval kitchen.
The ceramics are thought to date from between the 13th and 15th centuries. Some may have been produced at Midlands kilns, including Chilvers Coton in Warwickshire, which was an important pottery-producing centre during the medieval period.
They include fragments of green-glazed pottery and later medieval reduced wares, likely from cooking pots and rounded jugs.
The animal bones are believed to be from a similar period and offer clues about the food eaten by the castle’s elite residents. Bones from cattle, sheep and game birds were found, many displaying visible butchery marks.
One particularly intriguing object is a sheep phalange, or toe bone, with a hole drilled through it, suggesting it may have been reused as some form of toggle.
The most notable finds will be sent to medieval pottery and animal-bone specialists for further analysis, potentially adding further detail to our understanding of life at the castle hundreds of years ago.
Hand-crafted lead sink
Another remarkable feature emerged during work in the Townshend Room gift shop, where contractors from Messenger BCR found an intact lead-lined sink inside a deep windowsill.
The sink had been concealed by a piece of Stramit board, a rigid panel of compressed straw that was widely used in buildings from the 1950s onwards.
Believed to date from the 18th or 19th century, the sink provides evidence that this part of the castle may once have operated as a pantry or another domestic service room.
Its construction also reveals something about historic craftsmanship. A flat sheet of lead was beaten into a wooden carcass, probably using a wooden mallet, in a process known as bossing, before the drainage holes were individually punched into the lead.
Lead was commonly used to line wooden sinks because it protected timber from water and decay, although its use in water systems was later banned. The good condition of the sink makes this a valuable example of the castle’s post-medieval domestic infrastructure.
It will be carefully protected and re-covered as the room is reinstated. However, future visitors to the castle shop will be able to look towards the windowsill knowing what remains preserved beneath it.
Mystery carving behind Oak Room panelling
Restoration work in the Oak Room has produced a different kind of puzzle.
On removing a section of the room’s ornate oak panelling for masonry repairs to the wall behind, the team discovered a marking of three arrows within a shield shape concealed on the upper surface of one of the cornice brackets.
The hidden carving was not intended as part of the room’s visible decoration and its meaning is not yet known. It could be a craftsman’s mark used by a carpenter or joiner, an assembly mark showing where the piece belonged, a heraldic symbol or something else.
The panelling was likely installed during Georgian renovations by George Ferrers Townshend towards the end of the 18th century, although fixtures were also brought into the castle from other buildings to create a suitably historic appearance. This makes dating individual features more difficult.
Each section of removed panelling has been numbered and carefully stored and will be reinstated once the masonry work is finished.
Castle staff would be interested to hear from anyone who may be able to shed light on the three-arrow shield symbol.
Looking beneath the surface
Tamworth Castle has evolved continuously throughout its history, from a Norman motte-and-bailey fortress to a medieval stronghold, a gentry residence and, eventually, a public museum.
Successive generations have altered rooms, replaced windows, moved fireplaces, added panelling and adapted spaces for new uses, creating layers of history which are only now coming back into view.
Councillor Lewis Smith, portfolio holder for people services, engagement, leisure and heritage for Tamworth Borough council, said: “Tamworth Castle has been cared for and adapted by generations of people for almost 1,000 years, and many of them have left their mark. As the restoration work progresses, we’re uncovering more evidence of that history and gaining a much deeper insight into that past than we’ve had before.
“It’s one of the most exciting aspects of this project to protect and preserve the castle for the next 1,000 years.”
The castle remains open to visitors while the work takes place, although access to individual rooms and parts of the walkway may change as the project progresses.
Find out more and follow the restoration journey at www.tamworthcastle.co.uk/caring-castle.
More details about MEND grants can be found here: Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) Round 4 | Arts Council England.