Scargill Castle, County Durham
First screened 11 January 2009

Q&A

An interview with Caroline Hardie.

Q. What prompted you to invite the Team to dig at Scargill?
A. We had already worked with Time Team on a few occasions before and had thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We needed to find out more about Scargill before embarking on any further work, but had exhausted the usual documentary sources. Digging seemed the next logical step, but how much more fun it would be to get the Time Team out!

Q. How much did you know about the history of the site before the Team came to dig? What made you suspect there was a medieval settlement?
A. We had already carried out quite a bit of documentary searches and English Heritage had carried out a survey of the earthworks around the site. When we restored the gatehouse, a photographic record was made of the external walls before any repairs were carried out. This flagged up different phases of building, the possibility that the walls of the Tudor gatehouse had been rendered, and courtesy of English Heritage we got a dendro date of 1552-1587. We were also contacted by descendants of the Scargill family who had been conducting research of their own. This gave us a wealth of information about the Scargills, especially after they lived at Scargill Castle.

Q. Can you tell us a little about the Time Team invasion. Were you surprised by the scale of the operation? How did the dig differ from the type of projects you have worked on?
A. Well the number of vans and electrical equipment which arrived on site was quite awe-inspiring. Although we had both worked with the Time Team before, it seemed like an enormous amount of kit was being delivered to the site. The loos were particularly impressive and they certainly know how to feed their team. Delicious! In terms of the archaeological work, it wasn't so different from any other dig, although we normally have a little more than three days and it is unusual to have quite so much happening at once. But it is a great feeling to get on and do things and this is made possible by a huge amount of preparatory work by researchers and staff who have to organise everything from helicopter flights to accommodation.

Q. What was the most surprising discovery for you?
A. The level of survival near the Tudor fireplace. Two pretty bone dice were found, a pipe and a farthing of James I along with the ashes and clinker from the last fires. It really conjured up a very human picture of the last inhabitants smoking and gambling in front of the fire.

Q. Had you ever heard of a barmkin (or pumpkin boundary) before?
A. Oh yes, as archaeologists we have of course heard of a barmkin (a defensive enclosure outside a castle, often for cattle), but it was renamed by Tony and Mick as a pumpkin boundary and that sounds so much friendlier!

Q. What are your plans for the gatehouse and other buildings? Do you plan to live in them? What will they be used for?
A. Well, we need to get Scheduled Monument Consent and planning permission for anything that we would like to do, but we are having discussions with English Heritage and our neighbours about turning it into luxury holiday accommodation, particularly aimed at couples. We have to strike a balance between making it comfortable and warm, but not destroying its special character or archaeological interest and this will take time (and money).

Q. What will happen to the Tudor fireplace? Will it be preserved?
A. Yes of course – it is a real point of interest. It sits within a courtyard that we hope to lease and will form part of a secluded private garden space where future guests (and us) can sit with a glass of wine and contemplate times past. Close your eyes and you can almost feel the heat from the fire, the crackle of burning wood and the tumbling dice as once again they fall to double four (they were weighted!).

Further information can be obtained from Caroline and Niall's business website at www.aenvironment.co.uk.

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