Archaeologists to share secrets of castle dig findings

Monday 08 July 2019

A team of archeologists who have been working to uncover an old barracks and hospital at Elizabeth Castle over the past two years will tomorrow share their findings with islanders.

The University of York team will be giving a talk about the sites "lost" since the Occupation and what they have found there on Tuesday 9 July at 18:00 in the Jersey Museum.

Last year, the group of 19 people from the Department of Archaeology, including staff and 14 students, spent weeks excavating parts of the Castle Green, and carry out restoration surveillance work on the Barracks' Hospital.

The archaeologists’ work is part of an ongoing research project between the University and Jersey Heritage and part of wider plans to restore some of the buildings on the Castle that were damaged during the Occupation and have not been open to the public.

Pictured: The team is returning for their second summer of investigations.

"This is a hugely exciting project for us," Dr Matthew Jenkins, Lecturer at the Department, who is leading the team with Dav Smith, said. "The castle has an incredibly rich history covering multiple different time periods and it’s a great opportunity to tell a wide variety of different stories.

"The Department of Archaeology at York has specialisms in standing buildings, conservation, heritage and excavation and this is why the Elizabeth Castle project is so important to us – it’s a great way to bring all of this together in one project."

Dr Jenkins explained that the small scale excavations from last summer brought more questions than answers. "This is a great example of an early barracks building but there is some evidence that parts of it fell down almost as soon as it was built," he explained.

Video: A metal button from a uniform and key were among the first finds this week.

"Was it supposed to be just a temporary building or is it earlier than we think? We hope to also learn more about the day-to-day life in the barracks and how the officers lived differently from the men."

The team's investigative work on the Hospital block – which Dr Jenkins described as "a rare example of a purpose-built barracks hospital - also revealed a fascinating story over the building's continual adaptations over time. "It tells the story of changing medical practice and attitudes to hygiene," Dr Jenkins said.

"The hospital was then taken over by the Germans during WWII and possibly used as offices. Even the graffiti from the 1950s and 1960s tells us about post-war tourism. 

And the countdown begins! One week till the team begin to travel across to Jersey and Dav & @goodhen have started getting the kit together #excited pic.twitter.com/fMuVlRttoO

— Elizabeth Castle Jersey Project (@ECJProject) June 28, 2019

The team arrived in Jersey earlier this week to undertake a series of projects intended to increase knowledge of the Castle’s history – focussing particularly on the Castle Green. Their work is part of a restoration project at Elizabeth Castle which the States agreed nearly 40 years ago – but it is still awaiting funding. 

They will be continuing our excavations into the late 17^th century Old Barracks buried under the Green to uncover answers to the questions left from last year.

They will also be investigating the major standing structures associated with the Second World War - including personnel bunkers, casemates etc.

"We will be using the techniques of buildings archaeology to record and analyse them, as well as looking at the documentary archives," Dr Jenkins said. "The focus of the work on the WWII buildings will be on the forced and slave labourers who were made to build these structures and trying to tell their stories. We will also be carrying out a rapid condition survey to inform future conservation work."

Pictured: Islanders can learn more about the team's work next weekend.

Islanders who wish to learn more about the team's discoveries are invited to attend a public lecture on Tuesday 9 July at 18:00 at Jersey Museum. The team will also be giving a preview of their work for this year and discuss their hopes for the project.

The public is also welcome to come and visit the team whilst they work at the Castle throughout next week or to join the special public engagement event next weekend, which will include tours and activities for all the families.