Archaeological Investigations and Remains
An excavation led by Leslie Armstrong in 1927, prior to the construction of the Brightside and Carbrook Co-operative Society store, uncovered the base of one of the gateway bastion towers, as well as part of the gateway itself. These remains of the castle are preserved under the city's Castle Market: they are Grade II listed and are open for viewing.
The visible remains are situated in two rooms below Castle Market. One room is open to the public, pending booking of a tour, the other room is walled and the only access is via a manhole in the market's food court. Due to the precarious access down a narrow tunnel, tours are no longer conducted in the main room though the second room is accessible. The remaining ruins, approximately 32 feet above the River Don, are those of one of the gate towers, they represent a quarter of the Eastern tower.
More recent excavations in 1999 and 2001 by ARCUS, Sheffield University's archaeological research and consultancy unit, revealed the castle to have been much larger than previously was thought: among the largest medieval castles in England. Drilling was done in the upper food court delivery yard and flag stones left in situ to mark boundaries of the castle.
Read more about this topic: Sheffield Castle
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