Thank you for your patience while we continue to keep an area of footway along the Esplanade closed.
We are now able to tell you we appear to have rediscovered the remains of the opening shown to the left of the high wall on this engraving.
The find – probably used as water gate – was closed up when the Esplanade was remodelled in the 1850s, but it looks like the original fabric of the front of the archway remains.
More excavations will need to take place to confirm this discovery. This should take two to three weeks and will be overseen by archaeologists.
As this work will require digging a substantial hole, the site will be completely sealed off to avoid any danger to the public. Similarly, to ensure the safety of all who work on the site we will need to further encroach on the Esplanade. Your continuing patience is appreciated.
Update: After much investigatory work we were able to reveal more information about the castle water gate.