photomontague of last years excavation

Excavations at Oystermouth Castle 2010

Following the success of last year’s excavation at Oystermouth Castle, the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust will be carrying out more work this summer with the support of Cadw, the Friends of Oystermouth Castle, the Gower Society, Swansea City Council and Swansea University. We will be opening up more of the ditch in front of the west gate tower, and digging two small trenches behind the castle to see whether this was the site of the outer bailey, an enclosure that would have housed buildings like stores and stables.

The excavation will start on 7th June and run for three weeks until 25th June. This will enable the contactors who will be carrying out repairs to the castle and constructing the new visitor centre to move in on 1st July.

We are looking for volunteers to come and work on the project. You could learn how to excavate, how to record what we discover, or how to deal with the objects that we find.

Just download and fill in the application forms and we will fit you into the programme. Volunteers will need to be 18+ to work on the site, but under-18s are welcome to join in the finds work.

If that sounds too strenuous, you are welcome to come and see what we find. Guided tours will be arranged throughout the dig so you can keep abreast of the discoveries.

Booking for places will start on 17th May and close on 31st May. You can download application forms below or ring the Trust office for a copy (01792 655208). Booking is essential if you would like to volunteer

Download Adult application form

Download under 18s application form

*****STOP PRESS*****

We are experiencing problems with our email system at the moment, so in order to avoid disappointment we advise you to send them back to us through the post

Last year, we found the outer wall of the west tower, and could see that it had massive buttresses at its base. We also found where the ditch was, but weren’t able to dig very far down in its fill. Everyone who took part really enjoyed themselves, so we hope that this year’s season will be as good. Visit the Oystermouth Castle pages to find out more information on the excavation.

For more information on volunteering or the project contact: Dr Edith Evans, Andy Sherman or Rob Dunning.