Dig the Castle: We Dug It!
An exploration of one town’s adventures in archaeology; an intriguing and little-studied Norman motte and bailey castle rises from the ashes of anonymity.
The 2024 CBA/Marsh Awards Community Archaeology Project of the Year, Dig the Castle, is an exemplar of co-creation and co-production: a project ‘by the community, for the community’. A unique collaboration between community investment think-tank Great Torrington Futures Group and public engagement academic non-profit Archaeologist Engage, the project was guided by a community volunteer board with three main principles and aims: educate, inspire, engage.
This lecture will examine how developing a sense of place and ‘place in time’ for a local community, so they can ‘see themselves’ in the national story, can boost well-being and belonging through a holistic regeneration heritage strategy. It will consider how such work can help offset the lack of connection or perception of abandonment that often drives anti-social behaviours in vulnerable, isolated rural communities.
Exploring themes such as improving local pride and identity, boosting the visitor economy, developing business partnerships, providing access to education opportunities, upskilling, and cultural crossover, the lecture will show how community archaeology projects can be powerful levers for positive change and collective action.
Alongside this, Project Director, Emily Wapshott will share the ‘story’ of Great Torrington Castle’s late 20th-century decline into anonymity, its eventual ‘rediscovery’, and its new role in the town’s physical and cultural landscape. By invigorating an entire community’s outlook and leading to meaningful change, Dig the Castle provides a successful case study and valuable lessons for the future of town planning and regeneration - rooted in Archaeologists Engage’s tenet that “every story counts.”
Project background
