Archaeology & Building Recording

Client: Pembroke Castle Trust

Architects: Acanthus Holden Architects

Description:  Pembroke Castle Trust were looking to remove an unsafe concrete floor that had been inserted at first floor within the Solar in the Inner Ward of Pembroke Castle in the mid-20th century.  This was to enable access into the area to be reinstated.  A successful application for scheduled monument consent was prepared by HCUK, in conjunction with Acanthus Holden Architects and Pembroke Castle Trust, including designing a methodology for the removal of the unsafe floor to avoid damage to the scheduled Castle.  

HCUK Group involvement: Archaeological services; scheduled monument consent preparation;  written scheme of investigation, building recording, watching brief and evaluation.

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Summary

As part of the works, a written scheme of investigation was prepared by HCUK to detail a scheme of building recording and observation during removal of the floor and a subsequent trial trench evaluation to inform proposals for a possible future walkway that may put to replace the unsafe floor of the Solar.  During a site visit undertaken with Cadw, a medieval ‘Witches mark’ was found etched into the mortar on the wall of one of the corridors leading from the Solar at first floor level.  The remains of other possible medieval marks were also identified.  Removal of the concrete floor was successfully undertaken causing no damage to the scheduled monument. The trial trench evaluation revealed surviving medieval floors below the modern ground floor surface of the Solar.​