- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1069 · 11th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Style
- Norman architecture
- Commissioned by
- William the Conqueror
- Architect
- Gundulf
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 51.8906°, 0.9031°
History
Work on the castle began in the 1070s on the orders of William the Conqueror, probably overseen by his steward Eudo Dapifer. The keep was set on the podium of the Roman temple of the deified Claudius, using bricks and stone from the ruins of Roman Camulodunum. It was larger even than the White Tower in London. From the Middle Ages the castle served as a gaol, and in 1645 Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled "Witchfinder General", interrogated women accused of witchcraft here. In 1683 a buyer began demolishing it for building material and destroyed the upper storeys. A museum has occupied the castle since 1860.
What to see
The castle houses a museum with rich Roman collections, including legionaries' tombstones, mosaics and objects from the burning of the town in AD 60. Visitors can go down into the vaults beneath the keep, built on the foundations of the Roman temple. The castle is surrounded by Castle Park, with stretches of the Roman town wall.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q198287
Popularity: articles about this site in 18 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).