Dry weather reveals medieval hunting lodge remains

7 hours ago

Olivia HiskettYorkshire

Outlines of the walls and towers of the first known building on the historic site, once home to Mary Queen of Scots, have become visible in the parched grass

The Green Estate An aerial view of a Tudor building in a wall-lined garden. The dry yellow grass in front of the house reveals outlines of where buildings once stood. — Outlines of the walls and towers of the first known building on the historic site, once home to Mary Queen of Scots, have become visible in the parched grass

The foundations of a 15th Century hunting lodge in Sheffield have been revealed thanks to the recent months of hot, dry weather.

The first record of the lodge on the site of Manor Park, a medieval deer park, dates back to 1479 when George Talbot, the 4th Earl of Shrewsbury paid for repairs to be carried out there.

The building was dismantled over 300 years ago, but following prolonged dry conditions over the summer, its traces can once again be seen.

Dr Hannah Wallace, learning and interpretation coordinator at the Green Estate, which looks after the site, said: "It is a reminder of just how much we have to protect. Beneath our feet there is so much to appreciate."

The hunting lodge predates a Tudor manor on the site of the park where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in the 1570s and 1580s.

Hidden foundations reveal medieval Sheffield lodge

In the 18th Century, most of the remaining Tudor buildings were demolished, leaving only the Turret House which still stands today.

However, buried archaeology can be seen in dry weather, as underground features affect the growth of plants in the soil above them, and drone images have revealed the former make-up of the site in greater detail.

Wallace said that in the five years she had worked at Green Estate, she had never seen the remains of the lodge appear so clearly in the grass.

"For many years, the medieval hunting lodge remained hidden from view," she said.

"Recent heatwaves are a powerful reminder of the need to do more to protect our heritage and environment in a changing climate."

The dry weather has exposed foundations from the former hunting lodge

The Green Estate An aerial image of the site of the medieval hunters lodge, where the foundations of the building are visible in dry grass. The image has an the outlines of the building drawn on, showing the complex and the walls that extended from it. — The dry weather has exposed foundations from the former hunting lodge

Historians believe the hunting lodge is where the Earl of Shrewsbury and his guests would have enjoyed hunting and socialising away from his main residence at Sheffield Castle, in what is now the city centre.

Archaeology carried out by Sheffield City Museums staff, volunteers and school children found that the hunting lodge was carefully dismantled at the end of the 16th Century and its materials used in other construction.

The digs, carried out during the 1960s and 1970s, saw glass, pottery and deer bones excavated, suggesting the lodge was the height of luxury in the medieval period.

Dr Camilla Allen, from the department of landscape architecture at the University of Sheffield, said. "The medieval history of Sheffield is often invisible, but when we have a drought this persistent, we get a view of how different ways of living have existed in the city over centuries."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North