Virtual model of Sheffield castle created

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Latest news in Yorkshire: September 20, 2018 05:02:44 PM

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A virtual model showing “unprecedented detail” of a castle where Mary Queen
of Scots was imprisoned has been created by computer scientists.

The model has been generated after excavation work unearthed parts of
Sheffield Castle which had been covered for centuries.

A series of trial trenches were dug in previously uninvestigated areas where
the castle once stood.

The virtual model is on show at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield.

The dig, said to be the first comprehensive survey of the city’s Castlegate
site, is part of a £786,000 council scheme to revamp the area.

Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned at Sheffield Castle and Manor Lodge for
14 years in the 1500s under the care of the Earl of Shrewsbury.

Castlegate is the oldest part of Sheffield and has been inhabited since at
least the 11th Century.

The castle was destroyed in 1648 and its remains were covered by Castle
Market in the 1960s, with the only visible parts locked in basements.

The virtual model has been developed by creative agency Human and computer
scientists from the University of Sheffield.

Prof Dawn Hadley said: “Sheffield Castle was almost completely destroyed
during the English Civil War and most of what does remain of its original
structure has been hidden away from the public for hundreds of years.

“This is one of the main reasons why the castle and its history are largely
unknown.

“But now we hope that with the creation of this augmented reality experience
people will be able to see the castle in all of its glory and learn more
about its fascinating history.”

University archaeologists said the castle was once one of the grandest and
most powerful in the north of medieval England.

“It was home to some of the great families of the time – including the de
Furnivals, Nevils, Shrewsburys and Howards.”

News story: BBC

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