Time Team

S08E02 The Man Who Bought a Castle - Alderton, Northamptonshire

Derek Batten acquired a piece of land marketed as a castle with a moat, but all he found was a tree-covered mound encircled by a large ditch. Seeking clarity, he enlisted Time Team to investigate. Due to the site's status as a scheduled ancient monument, they needed special permission from English Heritage for limited excavations. To add to the complexity, Tony must mediate a longstanding boundary disagreement. The team welcomes castles specialist Philip Dixon, while Phil Harding dons chainmail, portraying a Saxon foot soldier ready to confront a mounted Norman warrior on a Spanish stallion. Ultimately, they determine the site was a ringwork castle, constructed atop an earlier Saxon structure during the Norman Conquest era.