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Tr 1 (Castle Meadows) Background
Castle Meadows contain the surviving earthworks of the once magnificent Wallingford Castle, demolished after a long siege by Parliamentarian forces in the English Civil War.
The castle was built in the late 11th century over the north-eastern part of the earlier Anglo-Saxon burh, and subsequently expanded and strengthened on many occasions. Excavations in the 1960s found traces of the earler Saxon town ramparts and the original site of the North gate, as well as medieval castle remains.
Judy Dewey of TWHAS leads a guided walk around the earthworks of Castle Meadows
Location of trench
In April this year a geophysical survey was conducted in the north of Castle Meadows, just outside the outer moat of the castle. Many features of interest were found, including a series of linear features running roughly parallel to the defences. Of particular interest was a U-shaped 'bastion' or 'flanking-tower' type feature to the west of the so-called 'Civil War bastion' (actually undated, despite its name). It is on the platform of this newly discovered feature that Trench 1 will be located.
Location of Trench 1 in the north part of Castle Meadows, with results of resistivity survey
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