DALE folk are being invited to join in an archaeological dig within the walls of Barnard Castle this month.
Barney-based archaeology firm DigVentures will be working within the outer ward of the town’s fortress. Residents can get involved and also take part in guided tours, workshops and visit a pop-up museum.
The work forms part of a joint effort by landowner Raby Estate, Historic England and Cultura Trust to bring the outer ward into public use.
The first part of the project aims to reveal what history still lies buried beneath Barnard Castle, a question that can only be answered through archaeological excavation.
The castle, which was built in 12th century, came under the guardianship of English Heritage in 1984.
The outer ward is one of four wards surrounding the castle and would have contained a medieval church, farm buildings and a gate tower.
Business manager at Dig Ventures Ben Swain said geophysical studies were made in the outer ward two months ago.
He added: “There are a few anomalies that we are going to target our test pits over, so we will hopefully get to find out a little bit about what they could be and hopefully they are something archaeological.
“It is exciting, the opportunity to dig inside a castle is few and far between, so something as magnificent as this is a real joy to get a chance to dig.”
Residents will have the opportunity to take part in the dig from November 18 to November 20 while children aged six to 12 can take part in a dig-camp on November 16.
Those aged 12 to 16 will be entertained with a dig-club on November 17.
Free guided tours of the dig will run from November 16 to 20.
A pop-up museum will be available from December 11 through to December 14, and community workshops will take place in December and January.
People can get involved by following @digventures on Facebook.
