Higham Ferrers is a town with a rich history, but much of the physical evidence has been lost, e.g., Chichele College is represented by just some of its foundations.
The Higham Castle is even less visible. Indeed, for most Higham residents, the only evidence of its existence is the “Castle Fields”. Now, we have something more substantial.
Several modern tools have been deployed by a team who have been working to locate the hidden remains of the castle. These are tools that were not available to previous generations of archaeologists.
Ground penetrating radar (GPR), a magnetometer and an earth resistivity survey, were deployed to detect underground anomalies.
This work produced evidence of a number of structures. Stephen Parry in the Castle Studies Trust Blog, wrote:
“The GPR survey produced the most informative results, showing that the foundations of a curtain wall and other buildings of the inner bailey survive under the garden of the Green Dragon Hotel.”
“Other building remains survive to the north, within the likely extent of the outer bailey.”
“The foundations of a square gatehouse, measuring 6m by 5m, were revealed across the line of the curtain wall and would have provided access from the outer bailey.”
“Inside the curtain wall, the foundations of a large rectangular building measuring 12m by 7m may have been the great hall, which documentary sources indicate was rebuilt after a fire in 1409-1410.”
“Other foundations within the curtain wall suggest the presence of other buildings that may have predated the fire.”
This report will whet the appetites of amateur historians, and definitely lead to more investigations, until we have a detailed description of this fascinating period of Higham’s history.