- Buckenham Castle
At
Buckenham ,Norfolk there are the remains of two castles: (gbmapping|TM08429041).Old castle
All that remains today of what was a Norman castle are the remnants of the earthworks and some traces of a stone curtain wall. The castle was built by William d’Albini, a follower of
William the Conqueror .After the castle was moved to the new site a priory was established on the site thus destroying many of the earlier remains.To service the castle and garrison, what is now
New Buckenham was established and it is thought that it probably covered much the same area and grid layout as remains today.New castle
In the early part of the reign of
King Stephen a new castle was built two miles to the north west of the site of the old castle by the Aubigny family. Today we can still see the remaining foundations of a circular stone keep - this is approximately 60 feet in diameter. The castle was besieged during the Barons' War in 1263. The fortress was finally demolished in1649 by the owner Sir Philip Knyvet, leaving just themoat and the earth ramparts. The Knyvett family had moved here from their earlier seat atSouthwick, Northamptonshire The castle comprised an inner bailey and two outer baileys, all with earth walls. The circular keep is thought to be the earliest in England. Its walls are 11 feet thick at their base and it is thought that the height of the keep in its heyday could have been as much as 40 feet.
New Buckenham Castle is located on the edge of the village - this some 20 miles south-west of
Norwich on the A11 and the B1077.This site is a Grade I Listed building and a
Scheduled Monument .References
*Remfry, P.M., "Buckenham Castles, 1066 to 1649" (ISBN 1-899376-28-3)
External links
* [http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/england.html Anglo-Norman Castles]
* [http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/144/newbuckenhamcastle.html Buckenham Castle at castleuk]
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