ENN111657 - Northampton Castle, 2016 (Heritage Assessment)

Received wisdom on archaeological survival in the Inner Bailey of the former Northampton Castle is of no survival. Recently questions have been asked to doubt this. The evidence has been reviewed, and new geotechnical data brought to bear. This backs up the long-term view while making it clear that only the filled-in river course, and the truncated but then deeply-buried fills of the Inner Bailey ditch have any chance of coherent survival, but then only at considerable depth and in an environment which is today fed by seepage from the Nene and the natural water-table. In archaeological terms these deposits are very difficult to access and in terms of excavation, constitute a potentially hazardous working environment. In the event of development over these areas, most notably in the form of a Multi-Storey Car Park, new and dedicated boreholes should be deployed in accordance with a planning condition, before these areas are covered for the foreseeable future, but obviating the need for hazardous ‘excavation’ access. One remaining raised area of the southern, Outer Bailey may retain some intact archaeology other than the ditches and mitigating its loss to development may be approached using staged evaluation, review and set-piece excavation as part of the same or a similar planning condition.