Archaeologists have been digging at the Isle of Wight’s only medieval castle, Carisbrooke, in a bid to answer more questions about the area known as the Privy Garden.

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The aim of the excavation is to date the Privy Garden wall more accurately and understand when it was built and why this substantial wall was constructed along the east boundary of the garden.

The week-long English Heritage archaeological dig which finished today (10th October) focussed on the original entrance to the Privy Garden (pictured) which was blocked up at the end of the 19th century.

Last week, the stone blocking was removed as part of English Heritage’s plans to develop a new garden* within the existing Privy Garden.

English Heritage archaeologist Michael Russell said:

“The re-opening of the entrance to the Privy Garden provides a timely opportunity to address some of the questions raised by the first archaeological dig here two years ago.

We are trying to find out how old this substantial wall is, why it was built in the first place and who was in residence at the castle at the time that it was built. It was possibly constructed under the orders of a captain of the Isle of Wight.”

“We are also looking at the bailey which is the area within the castle walls. Part of the bailey has been separated off by this wall and we would like to find out what this enclosure was used for and when it was created.

Dating the area we now call the Privy Garden is absolutely critical to understanding and interpreting this space.”

This is the second dig at Carisbrooke Castle.  In 2006, archaeologists excavated the Privy Garden to gain knowledge of the garden’s varied history from Saxon, Medieval and Georgian periods to the present day.

During the dig they confirmed that the Privy Garden was not used as a cemetery in Saxon and Medieval periods, as previously thought, but they still do not know exactly what its use was.

The earliest record of the garden wall is on a castle plan dated around 1700. However, archaeological evidence suggests that it could be considerably older, dating back to at least the 15th century.

The original entrance to the Privy Garden was blocked up during Princess Beatrice’s tenure as Governor of the Isle of Wight at the end of the 19th century when it was transformed from a kitchen garden into a pleasure garden.

The layers of soil on either side of the wall are very different, which appears to suggest that the bailey was divided by the 15th century, possibly by the huge masonry wall.

Carisbrooke Castle is a magnificent example of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle. It was built on an isolated chalk hill which had previously been used as a high status burial ground in the 6th century.
 
From the 16th century, the castle became the official residence first of Captains and later Governors of the Isle of Wight. It was taken into the care of the Office of Works in 1856 and after 1944 it was managed as an ancient monument. It is now under the guardianship of English Heritage since the 1880s.

The new Princess Beatrice Garden* to be unveiled next summer will be based on a Privy Garden which existed in the early to mid-20th century. The new garden has been designed by the award-winning garden designer and TV presenter, Chris Beardshaw, and will reflect the castle’s evolution over the centuries.