Norwich Castle

In the civil parish of Norwich.
In the historic county of Norfolk (Modern Authority of Norfolk, 1974 county of Norfolk).

Much restored ornate large square keep originally built in 1130, drum towers and a gatehouse added in C13. The majority of the present buildings on the site were built c.1824. From documentary sources, it is known that the castle had a southern bailey with an inner barbican, a small bailey on the north-east side, and that the whole area was bounded by Castle Fees, which may have been marked by a ditch or bank. The keep became a prison in 1789-95 and a museum later.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 228735)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TG23190853

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 132268

• Web site links
  • http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/tourism/museums/castle.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/134/norwichcastle.htm
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_Norwich.htm
    http://www.deremilitari.org/RESOURCES/ARTICLES/popescu.htm
    http://www.the-plunketts.freeserve.co.uk/castle.htm
• Books
  • Shepherd Popescu, Elizabeth, 2006, Norwich Castle: Excavations and Historical Survey 1987-98 (East Anglian Archaeology)[Forthcoming to be published in four parts]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p64-5
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p161-2
    Heslop, T.A., 1994, Norwich Castle Keep: Romanesque Architecture and Social Context (Centre for East Anglian Studies)
    Ayers, B.S., 1994, English Heritage Book of Norwich (London: Batsford/English Heritage)
    Rogerson, Andrew, 1994, 'Castles' in Wade-Martins, P, (ed), An Historical Atlas of Norfolk (2edn Norwich; Norfolk Museums) p68-9
    Kent, Peter, 1988, Fortifications of East Anglia (Lavenham: Ternence Dalton)
    Ayers, B.S. 1988, Norwich Castle Mall excavation: the trial work 1988. (Norwich: Norfolk Museums Service)
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    Ayers, B.S. 1987, Digging deeper: recent archaeology in Norwich (Norwich: Norfolk Museums Service) [espec p16–23, Cow Tower and castle keep]
    Ayers, B.S. 1985, Excavations within the North-East Bailey of Norwich Castle, 1979 (Dereham: Norfolk Archaeological Unit - East Anglian Archaeology No28)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p308-9
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p268-9
    Wilton, J.W., 1979, Earthworks and Fortifications of Norfolk (Weathercock Press) p18-9
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p753-5
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1962, Buildings of England: Norwich and north-east Norfolk (Penguin) p255-8
    Rye, W., 1921, Norwich Castle (Holt)
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p173-6
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p304-7
    Beecheno, 1888, Notes on Norwich Castle (Norwich) [unimportant]
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p210-11
    Harrod, Henry, 1857, Gleanings among the Castles and Convents of Norfolk (Norwich) p125-54
    Woodward, 1847, History and Antiquities of Norwich Castle (Norwich)
    Turner, D. (ed), 1845, John Kirkpatrick, History of the Religious Orders and Communities and of the Hospitals and Castle of Norwich Written About the Year 1725 (London)
    Kirkpatrick, 1836, Notes concerning Norfolk Castle (London) [history only]
    Britton, John, 1835, The Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain (London) Vol4 p135-7
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p202
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol4 p16-9
    Gurdon, 1728, Essay on the Antiquity of the Castel of Norwich (Norwich) [eccentric history]
• Journal Articles
  • Shepherd, Elizabeth, 2000, 'Norwich Castle' Current Archaeology Vol15.2 p52-9
    Shepherd Popescu, Elizabeth, 1997, 'Recent Excavations at Norwich Castle' in Guy De Boe and Frans Verhaeghe (eds), Military Studies in Medieval Europe - Papers of the 'Medieval Europe Brugge 1997' Conference Vol11 (Zellik) p187-
    Shelley, A., 1996, 'Norwich Castle Bridge' Medieval Archaeology Vol40 p217-225
    Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106
    Youngs, S.M. et al, 1988 ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987' Medieval Archaeology Vol32 p263-4
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1987, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1986' Medieval Archaeology Vol31 p151-2
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1986, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1985' Medieval Archaeology Vol30 p158-9
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p309
    Green, B., 1980, ‘Norwich Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol137 p358-9
    Whittingham, A., 1980, ‘Note on Norwich Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol137 p359-60
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1980, ‘Medieval Britain in 1979' Medieval Archaeology Vol24 p228-9
    Atkin and Milligan, 1976, CBA Group 7 Vol23 p17
    1974, Norfolk Archaeology Vol36 p68
    1973, Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p163
    1964, Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p255-7
    1962-3, Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p322
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Tingey, 1949, Archaeological Journal Vol106 p77
    Tench, 1910, Norfolk Archaeology Vol17 p42-5
    Armitage, E., 1904 April, 'The Early Norman Castles of England' The English Historical Review Vol74 p240-5
    Hartshorne, A., 1889, 'Norwish Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol46 p260-8
    Wilkins, 1796, Archaeologia Vol12 p141-80
    King, 1777, Archaeologia Vol4 p396-405
• Guidebooks
  • Green, Barbara, n.d. (revised 1969) Norwich Castle: A Fortress for Nine Centuries (Jarrold and Sons)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • The Anglo-saxon Chronicle; Worchester Chronicle AD1075; Laud AD1088
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities20.htm]
    William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/norfeng.html#norf5]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p317
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Faulkner, P.A., 1971, Report on Norwich Castle Keep (City of Norwich Museums)