Sheffield Castle

Sheffield Castle once stood where the River Sheaf joins the River Don, guarding the early town from its high bank. A wooden motte and bailey had been built soon after the Norman Conquest, then replaced in 1270 by a stone castle covering about four hectares. The rivers formed natural defences on two sides, while a wide moat protected the others. Excavations in the 1920s uncovered the stone foundations of the 13th-century castle and traces of earlier wooden buildings. The castle played a part in national events. Mary, Queen of Scots spent long periods here as a prisoner between 1570 and 1584 under the care of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. During the Civil War the Royalists held it until 1644, when Parliament’s forces besieged it with heavy guns and forced its surrender. After demolition the site was forgotten beneath a market building until the market’s removal in 2015. Today the castle ruins lie beneath Castle Market’s former footprint, close to the riverside walk. Archaeologists have found Bronze Age tools and Roman pottery near the site, showing early activity. A nearby park once stretched south to Gleadless and east to Handsworth, where the castle’s stone walls once stood. Visitors can walk the riverside paths and see the excavated foundations marked on the ground.