Archaeologists from Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU), part of Cornwall Council, will be carrying out a new project at Tintagel Castle over the summer to find out more about the historic site.

English Heritage has commissioned CAU to carry out excavations as part of the first major research project to take place at Tintagel for nearly 20 years. The programme is expected to take up to five years to complete.

The first phase of excavations, which will take place between July 18 and August 2, includes digging trenches in two previously unexcavated terrace areas of the island settlement.  It is hoped research into these carefully chosen areas will reveal more about how the people of Tintagel lived in the Post-Roman period from 5th to 6th centuries AD.

The terraces include buildings believed to date from this time.  Geophysical surveys of the terraces earlier in the year have detected the walls and layers of these buried buildings, and have suggested variation in their size. The team hope the excavations will provide evidence for how and when the buildings were built, as well as what they may have been used for.

The excavations will be carried out every day (except Saturdays).  Members of the excavation team will be on hand to explain to visitors what is happening.

During the second week Tintagel Castle’s Archaeology Festival will run alongside the dig from July 25 to 29. A programme of talks and activities will explore the discoveries of the on-going work, as well as celebrating the archaeological pioneers who have researched Tintagel over the years.