The remains of Northampton Castle that are still underground could be unearthed under new proposals to regenerate Northampton’s historic area.
Dr Marie Dickie, who is a member of the Friends of Northampton Castle (FONC), believes that exposing the remains at the medieval site will create social and economic benefits to Northampton.
Northampton Castle, on Black Lion Hill, was demolished in the 19th century when Northampton train station was built. Excavations continued to be carried out on the castle remains into the 1960s when intact remains were found underground.
Dr Dickie thinks that the castle was a popular tourist attraction in the past and could be again if the remains were available for members of the public to view.
She said: “There’s a great deal of castle still left underground and we want that to be brought to the surface. This part of Northampton’s heritage could become a really helpful part of Northampton’s future.”
The Friends of Northampton Castle are looking for potential partners for the project, including West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC). In 2011, the WNDC revealed that they are planning to redevelop Northampton train station.
The renovation of the historic area of Northampton (the Marefair project) plans to revive the area from the train station towards the town centre.
Dr Dickie said: “We’re very conscious there are plans afoot from a variety of public bodies and we don’t want to interfere with those. We want to go with the grain of those. There’s a real opportunity here to expose some of the archaeological evidence of the castle.”