Rabble-rousing and Rubble Removal

Today we had a little bit (okay, a lot) of extra muscle in the form of an excavator and two of the Castle’s grounds team. Stuart and Steve took down part of our seaward fence and brought over a digger to remove the largest dolerite blocks from the suspected well room.

Sneaking up on us.

Stuart is in the zone!

Our first glimpse of the other side of the arch.

Looking down the steps, and there is light on the other side.

Making some headway.

Graeme has clambered through the arch and stops to ponder.

We have multiple exposed courses of masonry showing us at least three distinct phases in the likely well room.

A slot possibly for a timber that roughly pairs with one on the seaward wall, or maybe even the timber for the pulley for the well?

Our arch on this side is clearly part of the wall, as the voussoirs (wedge blocks) and springer (block where the arch meets the vertical supports) are embedded in what looks like the same phase of wall.

Graeme is bouncing off the walls in delight.

The last video there broke some news today: we will be here in these trenches again next summer to find that well. Bet on it!