Gawthorpe Dig with the University of York Archaeology Department

Uncovering Harewood's original Medieval Manor House: A peek into the history of Harewood before the House you see now was built.

The University of York Archaeology Department have been at Harewood this week exploring the foundations of Gawthorpe Hall, the medieval manor house that stood on the site before the current Harewood House was completed in 1771.

Geophys of the area known as 'Sunnyside' showed the likely location of the original house - which seems to tie in well with contemporary drawings and maps still in existence.

A number of test pits have been dug to investigate anomolies on the geophys which will hopefully confirm the exact location, scale and orientation of Gawthopre Hall as it stood in the 1700s.

The team of archaeologists from the University of York have been on site a number of times over the past few weeks and months but began the dig as part of Architecture Weekend (4th-5th July) - the 250th anniversary celebrations for the laying of the foundation stone of the new House at Harewood in 1759.

The team, led by Dr Jon Finch, have been making some interesting discoveries including some massive medieval walls and foundations as well as floor surfaces inside the house.

Their discoveries in the ground will help us to confirm the accuracy (or otherwise!) of the contemporary drawings of the house still in existence. These drawings show the house as several buildings surrounding a central courtyard area and the team believe they have found the front wall of the house as well as the west wing, the earliest part of the building.

Why not join us for Medieval Weekend at Harewood this summertime! Details of upcoming events can be found on our What's On web pages.

Take a look at the dig photographs so far on the Harewood Flickr page.