- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 1130 · 12th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Commissioned by
- William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle
- Coordinates
- 54.2869°, -0.3880°
History
The headland was occupied in the Iron Age, and in the 4th century the Romans built a signal station here. The first castle was raised in the 1130s by William le Gros, Earl of Albemarle. Henry II took it back in 1155 and built a stone keep, and later kings added curtain walls and a barbican. In 1312 Piers Gaveston, favourite of Edward II, was besieged here; he surrendered and was soon executed. During the Civil War the castle was besieged twice, and in 1645 Parliamentarian guns split the keep in two. In December 1914 shells from German warships bombarding the town damaged the walls.
What to see
The way in leads through the barbican and over a bridge across the dry moat, beyond which rises the surviving half of the keep. Long walls with towers run along the edge of the headland, where visitors can also see traces of the Roman signal station and a medieval chapel. The walls look out over both of the town's bays and the open North Sea.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1963850
Popularity: articles about this site in 18 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).