Sheffield Castle Excavation & River Sheaf Tours

As part of the creation of a multi-million pound new park in the historic area of Castlegate, this is your chance to see the newly revealed remains of Sheffield Castle, buried for around 400 years and to learn about the exciting future for the River Sheaf, now uncovered for the first time in over 100 years. Join Wessex Archaeology, Friends of Sheffield Castle and the Sheaf & Porter Rivers Trust to learn about the history of the Castle and how we ‘lost’ the Sheaf.

These tours are part of the Castlegate Festival. The festival has been possible with funding received from the following organisations: Sheffield City Council, AUREOS’s YOR4Good (part of YORCivil Funding), Sheffield Business Improvement District and Central Local Area Committee.

Tours will take place on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September 2025.

The Castlegate area has changed dramatically over hundreds or years from castle to slaughterhouses, bowling green to steel works, and from Sheffield market to its current state. The site is now moving on to an exciting new chapter and work is underway to redevelop the area into a park.

Restrictions: adults only and no dogs allowed on site.

You can find out more about past archaeological discoveries by viewing our previous online video series.

Stay up to date with current work on the site by signing up to the Castlegate newsletter.

Your visit:

Your visit will include a short health and safety induction followed by a guided tour of site.

To allow us to manage the number of visitors on site we need you to book your visit in advance. Your visit will last for 1 hour and 15 minutes and the tour will accommodate up to 20 visitors. Please note that admittance may not be possible if you arrive late.

We will meet in the Castlegate area of Sheffield. Details of the meeting point will be emailed to attendees before their chosen tour date.

The tours will take place outside, so please dress appropriately for the weather. All visitors must wear sturdy footwear, steel toe-capped safety boots with insole protection are advised. Please note that admittance will be denied if your footwear is deemed to be unsafe for the site tour (no open-toe shoes or high-heels).

Photography:

Photographs and videos maybe be taken by Sheffield Council, Keltbray and Wessex Archaeology during the tours. There are also webcams set up to capture footage of the site. If you would like to take photos or video of the site during your visit, you are allowed to do so for personal use only. If you intend to use or share these photos for commercial purpose (including media coverage) you need to obtain prior permission to do so. Please contact press@wessexarch.co.uk.

Facilities on site:

Toilets are available on site.

There is no parking available on site. The nearest car park is Q Park Castlegate.

Accessibility:

Due to the nature of the archaeological site, there are uneven surfaces and rough ground throughout. You can see the site conditions by viewing the ‘Castlecam’ set up by the Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust.

If you have questions or specific access needs, please contact us prior to your visit to discuss these.

Cancellations:

If you can no longer attend, please cancel your booking as soon as possible, as this will allow others to visit.

In the unlikely event that Wessex Archaeology must cancel the tours due to unforeseen circumstances, participants will be informed by email at the earliest opportunity.

Contact us:

If you have any questions regarding your visit or booking, please email sheffieldcastle@wessexarch.co.uk.