Photo Charles Taylor

It started as an 11th century Norman timbered motte, one of the largest in England, overlooking the town and river. A wooden tower was constructed on top of the motte and its stone foundations are still visible. A stone shell-keep seventy feet in diameter was then built in 1326 to replace the keep. By the mid 16th century the castle was in a poor state of repair, and was not used in the Civil War. On the north-west side there is the inner bailey around which are the remains of the curtain wall.

English Heritage, open all year.