Days 7,8,9 and 10: Part 2

Continuing on from Part 1, keep reading to find out more about our progress this week...

Further excavation of the curtain wall has revealed some interesting insights into its development through time. Historical references to this wall allude to its instability during the medieval period. References to its underpinning align with our understanding of it sitting on the edge of the building complex, on the edge of the slope down toward the fishponds. The excavation has revealed areas of bowing in the wall, and patches of later repair and buttresses. These are exciting discoveries because they corroborate our understanding of the site from the documentary references. They also shed light on the techniques used by the medieval occupants to maintain their building, and the challenges they faced while living here.

At the furthest west end of the trench, we have identified the curtain wall with other walls adjoining it. This area has mystified us slightly, and we extended this trench only to find more walls. In the coming days we hope to understand the nature of these walls, their relationship to one another and their date.

We have also estimated an approximate height of the wall and believe that it might have stood at around 7m tall. This is an important fact because it allows us to imagine what it might have looked like during the medieval period from different viewpoints around the site. Today, there are relatively uninterrupted views of the north side of St Peter’s Chapel, which are used to full effect during Kynren shows. When the curtain wall was standing, views of the Great Hall (now St Peter’s Chapel) would have been effectively shrouded, and the external view of the site would have more closely resembled a castle in the traditional sense. Understanding this has allowed us to speculate on its date of destruction also. It has been previously speculated that Sir Arthur Haselrigge demolished the curtain wall, because he is known to have destroyed other parts of the site including Bek’s chapel. However, the competing theory that Cosin demolished this wall during his post-Restoration works at the site seems increasingly plausible. Through the removal of this wall, views of St Peter’s Chapel were created which emphasised and promoted Cosin’s work in ‘restoring’ Auckland Castle and creating his new chapel.

On Wednesday, many leading figures in the medieval building community visited to consult on the findings from last year and view the current excavations. Their insights into the building remains were valuable and well-received, and their enthusiasm for our current excavation was heartening. Hopefully, their findings will inform our understandings of the site as the excavations proceed.

Importantly, the wall has provided excellent opportunity for our students to practice their excavation and recording skills, which are vital for them to pass their first year. Durham University have adopted the CIFA Skills Passport which allows students to record their progress and list their skills in a nationally recognised format. They are able to take their Skills Passport on future excavations and to future employers in the archaeology field. To pass their first year, all students need to complete 6 skills. We are thrilled that after two weeks, all are well on their way to doing so.