Blog: Shrewsbury Castle dig diary: Day 8 – 25 July 2022

Monday was a busy day at the Castle, but the unpredictable weather did not put a stop to the day! We were visited by Shropshire Council Cabinet members, as well as journalists from the Shropshire Star and the University, to tour the site and see what we’ve been up to for the last week.

A new volunteer, Beatrice, joined us on site today. She was tasked with creating a profile plan of Trench 4. A profile plan shows the changes and gradients within the trench from a side profile in relation to the wider castle profile. To do this we used a tape measure and a plumb bob, to ensure that the measurements were completely straight, and they were placed at points throughout the trench to measure its depth at different gradients from ground level.

The Plumb bob – large enough to resist the wind – scale ruler, and other essential measuring tools.

A view of Trench 4 from ground level

Beatrice was aided by myself and Dr Capper to take these measurements as Beatrice created an accurate plan. This allows us to measure the features of the trench on the larger scale of the castle, as well as its depth in relation to its surroundings. This is an essential part of the dig process as the plans will be seen in the final archaeological report.

Lucy (left) and Beatrice (right) drawing our essential plan. Image courtesy of Demi Jefferies

Working draft of a profile plan of the trench and footings of the curtain wall by Beatrice Harmer 1:50

Although there was less activity on the top of the Motte today as features start to be resolved, digging continues until the end of Wednesday 27 July and so there are a few exciting days left on the motte top to make new discoveries!

Scripted by Lucy Salter, on behalf of students and volunteers at the Shrewsbury Castle Dig 2022