Sheffield Castle tours beginning soon - here's how you can book a ticket

The first tours of the site since Sheffield Council announced a major funding bid would be made to take Sheffield’s Castlegate project forward are set to take place in September.

They are also the first since the coronavirus pandemic started in March 2020.

Martin Gorman, the chairman of Friends of Sheffield Castle, told the Star that the website which will be taking bookings for the free tours will be up and running this weekend.

Mr Gorman has been part of a group pushing for proposals to develop the former Castle Market site with a project focusing on the historic castle, demolished during the English Civil War, leaving only its footings. The project would mean the remains of the castle would be permanently visible to the public.

He said: “The last time we did these tours, they completely sold out. They’re free.

"I think now that we are coming out of this dreadful period, we may have a few more opportunities to get people onto the site, and into the chamber to see the visible remains.”

The tours are part of this year’s Sheffield Heritage Open Days, on the weekend of September 18 and 19, with people from the Friends of Sheffield Castle, and Wessex Archaeology involved in the guided visits. There will also be people from Friends of the Old Town Hall, which is visible from the castle site, talking about its history.

Mr Gorman said he remained positive for the future of the site, after it was announced at the start of July that Sheffield Council was looking to submit a bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund for three projects, including a plan to transform areas including Castlegate.

If successful, £20m funding would be used to redevelop Castlegate and unlock potential for future investment, as well as supporting two new arts destinations, Park Hill Art Space and Harmony Works.

The site would be sensitively developed in accordance with its important historic past as a once thriving commercial hub and the site of Sheffield Castle, with the preservation of archaeology a priority for the project.

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Log onto https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/heritage-open-days-tour-and-visit-to-the-remains-of-sheffield-castle-tickets-161958812167 to book a place on the tour.