A 300-year-old ruin has been unearthed by the National Trust on the famous Castle Ward estate in Co. Down, Northern Ireland. Known the world over as the filming location for the HBO series Game of Thrones, the castle and its manor house still seem to hold many secrets. For archaeologists, there’s no doubt about it: this is a major find.
Over the last few days, the National Trust’s teams have been won over by unconcealed enthusiasm. Although the institution had only planned to carry out drainage work on site, nothing had prepared them for the discovery they would make once there.
As a result, the remains of a building over 3 centuries old were uncovered. This building, never recorded on the site’s historical plans, would have housed :
Numerous animal bones, bottle shards and pottery were also found.
Following the discovery, the archaeological services of the National Trust of Northern Ireland were urgently dispatched.
And the initial findings are exciting: the building probably dates back to 1700, and was used as a utilitarian storage facility. It was destroyed in 1760, when the new manor house was built.
Historians have no doubt that the building was demolished simply for aesthetic reasons, as the owners of the time wished to modernize their entire estate.
Michael Fearon, an archaeologist with the Northern Archaeological Consultancy, speculated that the building probably spoilt the view from the manor house. According to him, this was enough to encourage the owners of the time to order its demolition, in order to enjoy an unobstructed view, as close as possible to Irish nature.
Since the discovery, excavations have been underway on the site. This is an opportunity to dig deeper into the matter, and to ensure that the Castle Ward estate is not protecting any other secrets of this kind.
In any case, this is excellent news for the castle: already converted into a tourist attraction for years, since the location was used as a set for the filming of Game of Thrones, the castle is now getting a new update that should fascinate its visitors.
Although no statement has been made to this effect, the newly-discovered relics could perhaps later be exhibited to the general public, who have come to immerse themselves in the magic of Winterfell!
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