Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 24 March 2022

GEOLOGISTS and archaeologists will be in Argents Mead starting next Monday (28 March), with machinery, to take sediment samples from the old outer ditch of the former Hinckley Castle.

A drilling machine will be used around the dry part of the moat area of the park, in hopes that the sediment samples that they find contain pollen and remains from other plants which could inform the researchers on life inside and around the Castle when it was occupied.

It is also hoped that they are able to learn further details from the samples, such as what people ate, and what sort of crops may have been locally grown.

The drill’s diameter is approximately 10 centimetres – and the holes will be backfilled with inert material to ensure ‘minimal’ damage to the landscape of the Mead.

Further surveying works are planned to take place in the wet area of the moat in the ‘near future’.

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council (HBBC) posted about the planned works on Facebook yesterday (Wednesday, 23 March), giving advanced warning to park-goers.

It has been stressed that members of the public will be informed of any findings.

A spokesperson for the Borough Council, further stated: “All of these works form part of the conditions needed as part of scheduled monument consent from Historic England to carry out improvement works to the moat planned for later in the year, including desilting the pond and bank stabilisation works.

“Once the silt has been removed we will be able to re-instate the fountain which should work a lot better as it won’t then constantly get clogged up with silt.”