Sudeley Castle, Nuneaton

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Griff

In the civil parish of Nuneaton.
In the historic county of Warwickshire (Modern Authority of Warwickshire, 1974 county of Warwickshire).

Excavation indicates C13/C14 date and revealed the manor house. The name 'Castle' is a misnomer and of recent origin. The surrounding moat is not formidable. The N ditch was visible, but had been obscured by ploughing and the W part had been completely levelled. The moat is rhomboidal, some 51.8m wide on the E side. The N and S measured 73.1m and 65.8m respectively. No evidence for an internal bank was found and the interior was not raised above the surrounding land. Two sections were cut across the moat on the W and N sides. The moat was shallow, flat bottomed, and with gently sloping sides, approx 8.8m wide. It was 1.8m deep on the W and 0.9m deep on the N. The W section appears to have been deliberately obliterated through the dumping of coal from a local pit. he E part of the moat was destroyed in 1974, when a dual carriageway was constructed over the site. At this time the W part of the site was under plough and the earthworks had been reduced to slight undulations. The W area was destroyed in Jan/Feb 1986 by open cast mining. A watching brief produced no new evidence for the date of the moat, or for internal features. Only a thin strip of the centre of the site now survives. The site was descheduled in 1986 (After being serious damaged?)

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle.
This site is rejected as a medieval fortification or palace.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP35778909

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; 335929

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 1651

• Web site links
  • http://timetrail.warwickshire.gov.uk/detail.aspx?monuid=WA1651
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 1992, Castles and Moated Mansions of Warwickshire (Malvern)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p486 [reject]
• Journal Articles
  • IRM, JEC, RCH, 1986, Moated Site Research Group Vol13 p14
    West, S., 1968, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol31 p76-101
    1967, Medieval Archaeology Vol11 p299-300
    West, S., 1966, West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet Vol9 p11
    Chatwin, P.B., 1947-8, 'Castles in Warwickshire' Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society Vol67