Secrets of the Castle on BBC
If, like me, you are interested in the medieval period and particularly castles, then I can recommend a new television series called ‘Secrets of the Castle’ broadcast on BBC 2 at 9pm on Tuesdays. Based at Guedelon in Burgundy 100 miles south of Paris, the program follows the techniques used in building a 13th century castle covering everything from aspects of everyday life to the finer principles of castle building.
Practical archaeology at its best with only the tools and methods available at the time. You can view yesterday’s programme on iPlayer or for more visit www.guedelon.fr/en/
John Baker
‘Secrets of the Castle’ is a fantastic programme which illustrates what could be achieved with Sheffield Castle. The ongoing restoration of Guedelon in Burgundy by stonemasons using traditional methods shows how imaginative vision can create transformation and regeneration. The originators of Guedelon should be invited to make a presentation at a public meeting in Sheffield and this model might be adopted to encourage employment, apprenticeships and tourism. I have over 50tons of large dressed stone, for free, which would face 50 sq. m. for anyone who wants to start the ball rolling.
John, the Guedelon series was fantastic, but I don’t think this would be viable for Sheffield Castle as (1) no image exists today to show what it looked like, and (2) apart from your kind offer of a fair quantity of stone, it would be impossible to finance such a large project in the current economic climate. Other views are available – let’s see some further comments! Why not get in touch with the Council re your offer?