Castle in the round

On the mouth of the Thames, within easy reach of the Channel, lie the remains of Queenborough Castle. With a royal name, and an equally regal history, this unprepossessing site hides some intriguing mysteries – buried, along with the building's remains, over centuries.

For this programme, Time Team travelled to the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, to investigate the remains of the last royal castle to be built in the medieval period, in an effort to unlock some of its long-held secrets. The castle construction was ordered by Edward III during a lull in the Hundred Years War, but opinion is divided as to whether this was a defensive castle, designed to protect the Thames estuary, or a royal bolthole for the king to escape the plague.

Excavations by the archaeologists on a mound in the centre of the town ought to help the Team deduce the castle's true purpose. Except Queenborough's unique circular design causes much scratching of heads as the experts try to figure out exactly which parts of the fortification they've uncovered.

Meanwhile, the historic town, built at the same time as the castle to a classic medieval design, also comes under scrutiny. This includes an account of a unique journey along the Thames by paper boat – leading the team to conduct a bizarre experiment involving a boat made of paper propelled by oars made of cod.

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