Pembroke Castle Dig Diary

In 2018, the Castle Studies Trust gave Dyfed Archaeological Trust a £6,970 grant to excavate within Pembroke Castle’s outer bailey. Volunteers and professional archaeologists are working together to learn more about the place where Henry VII was born.

Day 4 – 5th September

Sunny weather helped the archaeologists as they got stuck in. You can see some walls emerging from the trench. Showboat TV have been on site and have put some 360 degree photos on their Facebook page. You can almost feel the warmth of the September sun!

View of Trench 1 from the Henry VII tower, 05/09/2018

Posted by Dyfed Archaeological Trust on Wednesday, 5 September 2018

Pembroke Castle 5th September 2018, looking towards the Great Keep across the partially uncovered building in the Outer Ward

Posted by Dyfed Archaeological Trust on Wednesday, 5 September 2018

Posted by Showboat TV Studios on Monday, 3 September 2018

Day 2 – 4th September

Tuesday continued Monday’s good work and trenches 1 and 2 were joined up – that’s the long trench just right of the tent in the photo below. You can see that the archaeology is just below the surface.

View across the Pembroke Castle evaluation trenches at the end of Day 2 showing the emerging wall lines, with the amazing Great Keep and Inner Ward behind

Posted by Dyfed Archaeological Trust on Tuesday, 4 September 2018

Another view across the evaluation area at the end of Day 2 showing the emerging wall lines in the trenches with the Gatehouse and Northgate Tower behind

Posted by Dyfed Archaeological Trust on Tuesday, 4 September 2018

Day 1 – 3rd September

Early days, but walls are starting to show and more finds than we were expecting. Mostly early 20th century, but with some later medieval and early post-medieval material too.

Lined up and ready to start cutting the turf off our first trench at Pembroke Castle!

Posted by Dyfed Archaeological Trust on Monday, 3 September 2018

View across the site at tea break showing half of the turf removed from Trench 1 and the line of Trench 2 marked with string in the top of the fenced area. You can make out some of the parch marks of the building we are looking at within and just outside of the area.

Approximate layout of parchmarks

Posted by Dyfed Archaeological Trust on Monday, 3 September 2018