Ep 4. The Fortress in the Lake

In season 1 episode 4 of Time Team, titled "The Fortress in the Lake," the team is challenged to uncover the mysteries of an ancient island fortress in the heart of a lake. The team arrives on site aboard a small boat, and they're met with an awe-inspiring sight - a ruined castle on an island in the middle of the tranquil lake.

The island, which is known as Castle Island, is in a strategic location, and it's believed that the fortress was built by the Normans in the 12th century to defend against the rival Welsh. The team gets to work immediately, setting up their base camp on the nearby shore and planning their excavation strategy.

The first order of business is a geophysical survey of Castle Island, which is carried out by a team of experts using ground-penetrating radar and other high-tech equipment. The results are encouraging, revealing evidence of a large castle keep, a series of outbuildings, and even a well-preserved garden.

With the geophysics data in hand, the team begins digging, starting with a test pit on a small promontory near the castle keep. The layers of soil and debris they uncover suggest that the castle was abandoned in the 16th century, probably due to a combination of lack of resources and the changing political landscape.

As the team progresses, they uncover more and more evidence of life on Castle Island, including pottery, animal bones, and even evidence of a chapel. But it's not until they start working on the garden that things really start to get interesting.

The garden is laid out in a grid pattern, with gravel paths and perfectly aligned rows of vegetables and herbs. As they dig deeper, the team uncovers evidence of a sophisticated irrigation system, which would have been fed by a stream that flowed into the lake. It's clear that the people who lived on Castle Island were skilled farmers and gardeners, and they must have relied heavily on the food they were able to produce.

With time running out, the team works frantically to uncover as much as they can before they have to pack up and leave. In the end, they're able to piece together a detailed picture of life on Castle Island, from the strategic importance of the fortress to the daily lives of those who lived there.

Overall, "The Fortress in the Lake" is a fascinating exploration of a little-known piece of history, and it showcases the expertise and dedication of the Time Team as they work to uncover the secrets of the past.