Abbey Dore, also known as Dore Abbey, was a Cistercian abbey located to the south-west of Hereford of which only the chancel, crossing and transepts remain. The abbey was founded in around 1147 and ...

The abbey of Cluny was founded by William I of Aquitaine, also known as William the Pious. The abbey is located in the south of France in the area called Burgundy. It's founding abbot was a man called ...

This Dorset abbey was founded by Orc, a steward of Canute, and his wife Tola. Orc also became a steward of Edward the Confessor and in Edward's reign the abbey was populated with Benedictine monks. ...

Also known as Trefenty Castle. Remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Just the artificial mound remains of was once possibly a motte and bailey castle. Aber Castle was also known as Mwd Castle and is thought to have been built or improved upon by Llywelyn the Great, the ...

Motte and earthwork remains of a medieval castle. Located on the north-east corner of Anglesey and a few miles away from Beaumaris Castle. The castle was constructed by Hugh d'Avranches the Earl of ...

This abbey, possibly the most important Cistercian abbey in the north of Wales, was founded in 1186 by monks coming from Strata Florida. The original site chosen for them was unsuitable and for several ...

This Scottish castle was the property of Walter Avenale in the twelfth century, but a dispute with the Bishop of Dunkeld saw the castle and surrounding area passed to the Church. Other owners included ...

Aberdour Castle, one of the earliest castles to be built in Scotland, can be found in the village of the same name and is located on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The remains show evidence ...

This is the Welsh castle where Llywelyn, the Prince of Wales was killed in 1282. The castle was built in the thirteen century and consisted of a square enclosure with four round towers at the corners. ...

Abergavenny Castle is a castle in Wales situated at the confluence of the Gavenny and Usk rivers. A castle was possibly constructed here during the Norman Conquest of England and Wales before 1100. ...

Aberrheidol Castle was a ring-work and bailey castle and the forerunner of Aberystwyth Castle which is located a short distance away. It was built by Gilbert fitz Richard in around 1110. ...

What can now been seen of of Aberystwyth Castle are the remains of the structure built by James of St. George, the Master Mason and chief castle builder of King King Edward I. An earlier fortification ...

Remains of a Benedictine abbey located on the northern bank on the River Thames to the west of London. Possibly founded in around 675 and then destoyed by Danish invaders. Was rebuilt in the reign of ...

Minor remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Remains of a motte and bailey castle. The bailey gate survives and the castle eathworks. Free to access and under the care of English Heritage....

Acton Burnell Castle is located in the village of Acton Burnell a few miles from Shrewsbury. Built by Edward Burnell in around 1284 who was the Lord Chancellor of King Edward I. The ruins can be seen ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle alongside the river in Aldford just south of Chester....

Location of a motte and bailey castle just to the north of Coventry city centre. Nothing now remains....

Possibly a castle existed on the site at the time of King Henry III but in 1281 the owner at the time was given a licence to crenellate and fortify the structure.This was Sir Stephen de Pencester ...

The hill on which the remains of the castle stand is a natural outcrop of rock. The site was used prior to the medieval period as well as by the Normans....

Founded in 1147. A short distance to the north west of Alnwick Castle, now within the grounds of Hulne Park, only the gatehouse remains of this once large building. The gound plan can be seen. The ...

Alnwick Castle in Northumberland started its life as a motte and bailey style fort that was built just after the Norman Conquest by Gilbert Tyson a supporteer of William the Conqueror who may reused ...

The remains of a small priory populated by Benedictine monks. Located a few miles to the east of Tamworth Castle. The priory was founded by Sir Thomas Burdett, who after returning from the Crusades, killed ...

A privately owned castle now a restaurant and hotel. Like Arundel Castle a few miles to the south, Amberley Castle was built near the River Arun. The curtain wall at Amberley was built by its owner ...

Amiens Cathedral, also known as Notre-Dame d'Amiens, is one of the largest and most magnificent Gothic cathedrals in France. Located in the city of Amiens in northern France, it is renowned for its stunning ...

Remains of a peel tower. The castle is on private land....

Founded by Ranulf de Meschines The main keep, known as Caesar's Tower, was built at the end of the twelfth century when the castle was a royal possession. The castle was granted by King John to Robert ...

Arundel Castle is located in West Sussex and is built on the site of an existing Saxon fortification. Arundel Castle was the work of the Norman Roger de Montgomery who was granted the land on the River ...

Ashby de la Zouch Castle was originally an unfortified manor house granted by William the Conqueror to one his followers Hugh de Grentmeisnil and consisted of a stone hall. The castle remained in the ...

Aydon Castle, located approximately a mile and a half northeast of Corbridge, holds a unique position among Northumberland's fortresses, situated midway between the grandeur of castles like Alnwick ...

Remains of a forfified manor house built by the Heydon family of Norfolk. The gatehouse form thae largest remains of the castle. The rest of the rectangular inner bailey walls exist to a few feet. Access ...

Baginton (or Bagot's) Catle is located in the the small hamlet of Baginton just south of Coventry in Warwickshire. Originally constructed in the late 11th or 12th century. Consisting of a motte and bailey ...

Bamburgh Castle is located on an outcrop of basalt rock on the Northumbrian coast of northern England. The outcrop of rock forms a long ridge and stands over a hundred feet above the surrounding land ...

Bampton Castle was a motte and bailey type castle located in Devonshire. Captured by King Stephen in 1136. In 1336 permission was granted to Richard Cogan to refortify the castle. No remains of ...

A large Norman stone castle built overlooking the River Tees on top of a 100 foot high rocky outcrop. It was originally built by Barnard de Balliol who died in 1167. The castle castle was divided into ...

Just the mound on which the keep was located is all that remains of this once important castle. Located near the river at the centre of Barnstaple, Devon. The castle was lived in by Judhael de Totnes ...

Substantial stone castle and manor house. Privately owned....

Basingwerk Abbey near Holywell in north Wales was founded in around 1131 by Ranulph Earl of Chester as part of the Savignac Order. King Henry II may have provided the abbey with extra endowments. ...

Earthworks are the only remains of this castle. It has early origins and was rebuilt and destroyed several times over its history. It is located near the Holy Well of St Winefride and was most probably ...

Bath Abbey stands on a religious site which dates back well before the medieval period. A monastic house for nuns was built in 676 who were replaced by monks in around 758. The abbey was possibly destroyed ...

Battle Abbey was founded by William the Conqueror and built on the site of the Battle of Hastings. William is supposed to have made a vow to construct a monastery if he was victorious in the fight against ...

Just earthwork remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Beaulieu is a Cistercian Abbey found in tne New Forest near Southampton on the south coast of England. The abbey was founded by King John in 1203 or 1204 and became an important mother house sending ...

Beaumaris Castle was built by King Edward I and construction began in 1295 on the Isle of Anglesey after Edward put down the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn. The castle was built on marshy land overlooking ...

Also known as Old Beaupre or Bewpyr. More of a fortifier manor house than a castle. Owned by the Basset family from its construction in the 13th Century until the early 18th century. Notable for its inner ...

It is not known when Bedford Castle was built but it is thought construction took place somewhere at the end of the eleventh century or at the start of the twelfth. The castle was built within the town ...

Beeston Castle's construction was started by Earl Ranulf, the sixth earl of Cheshire, in 1225 on the 500ft summit of the outcrop of rock after he returned from the Holy Land to find his lands being ...

This medieval castle was constructed in the late fourteenth or possibly in the fifteenth century by the Middleton family. At the centre of the castle they built was a three storey rectangular tower with ...

Belvoir Castle was originally a Norman castle but over time this has been replaced by what is now a stately house. It is open to the public as certain times....

Remains of a motte and bailey castle. These form part of Benington Lordship Gardens which are not normally open to the public apart from a few times a year. Look for the Benington Lordship website for ...

Earthworks remains of a possible motte and bailey castle. The area has been ploughed so the exact form of the original design is unclear....

Berkeley Castle is special because, apart from a short period in the ownership of the crown, it has remained in the ownership of the same family since Norman times. In Saxon times the site was the location ...

Berkhamsted Castle was an important castle during the Medieval period. It was at Berkampstead that William the Conqueror accepted the submission of the Saxon leaders before moving to London to be crowned ...

The ruins of this castle can be found deep in the woods less than three miles to the east of Totnes, Devon. The castle was owned originally by the Norman Pomeroy family. In around 1547 the castle was ...

Important English Northumbrian castle located in Berwick-upon-Tweed. Its position on the border with Scotland meant it was a key fortress for the English to keep hold of and one that the Scots were always ...

Beverley Minster in situated in the small town of Beverley, just a few miles north west of Kingston upon Hull and is as large as any of the cathedrals and more impressive than some. In medieval times, ...

Beverston Castle, located a mile to the north east of Tutbury, originally built by Maurice de Gaunt in around 1229 and repaired by Thomas Earl of Berkeley in the reign of King Edward III using money ...

Moated manor house now privately owned and used as a bed-and-breakfast and wedding venue....

Biddlesden Abbey was a Cistercian abbey populated by monks from Garendon Abbey. Nothing of the abbey now remains and the site is occupied by a private house. The abbey was founded in 1147. In the ...

No visible remains of what was once a motte and bailey castle. Discovered by arial photography of land near the River Ivel. ...

Scant remains of a motte and bailey castle build in around 1100. A stone keep was added at some point later. This has fallen into disrepair and only a section of one wall remains. The site is now private ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle. Also known as Waytemore Castle....

This motte and bailey castle was constructed by Roger de Conyers. It is located to the east of Bishopton Beck, a stream that may have provided water to fill the ditches around the castle. It appears that ...

Bodiam Castle's construction was started in 1386 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge who was granted a licence to crenellate his mansion at Bodiam. Instead of just improving the current building, Dalyngrigge ...

Just earthworks and low walls remain of this stone castle. The plan shows that the castle was hexagonal in design. It was the birth place of Henry Bolingbroke, the future king Henry IV of England....

Originally constructed as a motte and bailey castle by William Peveril, a supporter of William the Conqueror, but not mentioned in the Domesday Book so must have been constructed after that time. When ...

Bolton Castle is located in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The licence to crenellate was given in July 1379 to Richard Scrope, the Chancellor of England, who had complained that his land was being broken ...

Bordesley Abbey was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1138 by Waleran, the earl of Worcester, and monks from Garendon. After the Dissolution in 1538 the buildings were completely dismantled. Although ...

Bramber Castle is a Norman motte and bailey castle built soon after the Conquest of Britain. William the Conqueror granted the land to William de Braose who constructed the castle on the site. Originally ...

Bridgnorth Castle is located on a cliff by the side of the River Severn. In 1102 the castle belonged to Robert Belleme, Earl of Shrewsbury a powerful Norman baron. Henry brought several charges against ...

Very little remains of the castle that once stood at the centre of Bridgwater on the river Parret in Somerset. Built by William de Briwere in the reign of King John in around 1210. Mainly destroyed ...

Earthworks and possibly some stone remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Location of a Norman motte and bailey castle. The motte is still visible and appears to have a public path nearby....

Bristol Cathedral was not raised to the status of a cathedral until 1542 by King Henry VIII but a building of size and importance has stood on the site since medieval times and possibly before. In ...

This small Norman motte and bailey castle with a round tower on top of an artificial mound overlooks the river Llynfi and provides excellent views over the countryside. The area where the castle stands ...

Brough Castle was built on an existing Roman site by William Rufus in around 1090. Destroyed by William the Lion in 1174. The castle became the property of the Clifford family and Lady Anne Clifford ...

Brougton Castle is an excellent example of a fortified manor house. This rectangular castle was first built by the Broughton family in middle or late thirteenth century at the centre of a lake created ...

Found marked on map. No other information....

Buildwas Abbey was founded in 1135 by Roger de Clinton, the Bishop of Coventry. The founding order of the abbey was the Savignic order from Furness, but in 1147 the order merged with the much bigger ...

Originally this castle was a motte and bailey castle built several years after the Norman Conquest by Philip de Braose, one of William the Conqueror's Norman followers. The castle was built on high ...

Remains of the twin-tower gatehouse and some sections of curtain walls....

Minor remains of a motte and bailey castle. No information and possibly on private land....

Augustinian priory founded in around 1185 by Hugh, the son of Oliver Beauchamp. The frater with a timber-framed roof and wall paintings is all that remains of the original buildings. The remains of ...

Possible remains of a motte and bailey castle located a few miles to the north east of York on a hill overlooking the River Derwent....

Byland Abbey can be found in a Yorkshire valley around eight miles east of Thrisk and a couple of miles north east of the village of Coxwold. Byland is the daughter house of Furness Abbey. In 1134 twelve ...

Located on the side of the River Tyne on the edge of Bywell village. All that remains of the castle is the rectangular gatehouse and part of the curtain wall. The gatehouse with three floors and an entrance ...

A small castle built by Dafydd ap Gruffydd on possibly an earlier hill fort located in the town of Caergwrle, North Wales. Only a section of the curtain wall of the inner ward survive today. The round ...

This castle, built on the Scottish side of the Solway Firth boasts an unusual design. It is triangular in shape with tall curtain walls, round towers at each of the three corners and a central courtyard. ...

Caernarfon Castle was built by King Edward I and his master castle builder, James of St George, who started work on the new castle in around 1283. The site was previously occupied by a Norman Motte ...

Caerphilly Castle's construction was ordered by King Henry III who was under pressure from a Welsh revolt led by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. Gilbert de Clare was the Norman Lord put in charge of the building ...

Built by Sir John Fastolf in around 1440. Sir John was an English knight who made his fortune by capturing and ransoming a French knight. With his money he built Caister Castle, one of the first brick ...

Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester, founded a Savigniac monastery in 1134 with monks provided by Furness Abbey, but due to its proximity to Scotland it was attacked in 1138 and the monks were driven ...

This large castle in located about five miles to the south west of Chepstow in South Wales and was built in around 1130 by Walter Fitzroger a Norman. A series of untimely deaths and male heirs becoming ...

Camber Castle is a gun fort rather than a place of residence. The remains of the castle we see today were built on the order of King Henry VIII and it was built at a time when Henry was expecting an ...

A motte and bailey castle was built on the north side of the River Cam in 1068 by the Normans where 27 houses were destroyed to provide space. Many of the Norman kings spent money on the upkeep of ...

Or Great Canfield Castle. Just the earthworks remain of this once motte and bailey castle....

The original motte and bailey castle was replaced by a stone keep during the reign of Henry I....

Canterbury Cathedral was the location in 1170 where Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered by four knights who mistook King Henry II's outburst at Becket's defiance against him as a request for the ...

Cardiff Castle was originally a Roman fort. The Normans created a motte and bailey style castle on the same site in around 1080 or 1090. Robert Fitzhamon was responsible for the castle's construction ...

The remains of a stone castle. Unsure how much of this castle can be accessed....

Carew Castle is situated on a small tidal creek of the Daugleddau estuary....

Carisbrooke Castle was originally a Roman fort. The castle is located in the centre of the Isle of Wight and was put up soon after William the Conqueror came to England. The Earl of Hereford, William ...

The location where Carlisle Castle is built had been used as a defensive site long before the medieval castle builders came along. The site was a Roman fort and before that possibly a Saxon stronghold. ...

Carlisle Cathedral has been struck with a series of disasters. In around 860 the church was devastated by the Danes and remained a ruin until 1090 when William Rufus arranged for its reconstruction. ...

The ruins of this castle in South Wales stands high on a rocky outcrop. On three sides are steep cliffs so care must be taken when visiting. Access to the castle is via a slopping ridge that is still ...

Carrickfergus Castle was built by John de Courcy, a Norman knight, who invaded Ulidia (Ulster) in 1177 and took control. Originally a large portion of the castle jutted out into the sea in Belfast Lough ...

Important Welsh castle built by Llywelyn the Great but was only inhabited for a short period of time . Construction of the castle was begun in around 1221 on the top of a rocky outcrop and the plan ...

Castle Acre Priory was founded in around 1087 by William de Warrene, a Norman follower of William the Conqueror. Populated by monks from Lewes Priory. The monks belonged to the Cluniac Order which was ...

This crusader castle was built by the Knights Templar. Construction began in around 1218. The castle is located just to the south of the large city of Haifa in Israel. The castle is also known as Castle ...

Castle Rising consists on a square keep built in around 1140 in the middle of large earthworks. This is an excellent example of a twelfth century castle and its defences. The castle was built on an ...

Earthwork remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Remains of a motte and bailey castle built on an older Iron Age hillfort....

A private mansion built upon the site of a former medieval moated castle. Not generally open to the public but appears to be a wedding venue....

Linked to the Archbishop of York....

Motte and bailey castle with some remains of keep and curtain walls. On private land?...

A French castle located mid way between Tours and Blois on the banks of the Loire River. The castle dates back to Frankish times but was rebuilt by Charles VIII who was born there. In 1560 the Huguenots ...

This castle located on the east bank of the River Maine was the base for the counts of Anjou from the 9th century. The present castle was built during the thirteenth century and has an outer wall consisting ...

Located about seven miles to the south of Dieppe on a rocky outcrop this ruined castle dates from the 12th century. The large keep is the work of King Henry I of England....

The castle at Caen is located on the River Orne a few miles from the Normandy coast and was built on a hill that dominates the town. William the Conqueror built the castle a few years before invading ...

The castle at Chinon consists of three distinct enclosures each separated by deep dry moats. The three separate castles are called Chateau (Fort) du Coudray, the Chateau du Milieu and Fort St-Georges. ...

The ruins of this castle date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The dukes of Normandy have been associated with Falaise and it was here that William the Conqueror was born in 1028. William was the son ...

This important medieval castle was built by the Dukes of Normandy on the border of Normandy and the lands of the Capetian kings of France. It was built by Robert of Belleme in the reign of William Rufus ...

The castle at Vincennes was a former hunting lodge used by the French kings. The central keep or donjon is extremely tall....

Remains of a motte and bailey castle. OS map shows two castles....

Remains of a fortified manor house....

Chepstow Castle is situated on the mouth of the river Wye and is a gate-house to the Vale of Wye. Built by William or his son Roger Fitz Osbern on a high cliff overlooking the river the castle was well ...

Chester Cathedral has suffered decay over the years due partly to the use of the soft red sandstone in its construction leading to its restoration in Victorian times. It was not until Henry VIII that ...

All that remains of Chichester Castle is a small section of a mound and can be found in Priory Park at the centre of Chichester. The castle would have most likely been a motte and bailey type castle and ...

Chichester Cathedral became a Cathedral when the see of the Bishop in the area was moved from Selsey to the city of Chichester in the time of William the Conqueror. The new church built mainly by Bishop ...

Earthwork remains. Access uncertain....

Now a country house built on the site of a medieval castle. The medieval keep remains. Castle privately owned but open occasionally....

A licence to fortify his mansion was granted to Thomas de Heten in 1344, but a structure existed on the site for some time before that as King Henry III stayed at Chillingham in 1245 (or 1255). ...

Chirk Castle, situated near Wrexham in North Wales, is a rectangular medieval fortress. It was built by King Edward I's supporter, Roger Mortimer at the end of the thirteenth century. Rectangular is ...

This castle is situated in a naturally defensive position between the two rivers, Avon and Stour just before they reach the coastline. Due to the protection provided by the rivers the site has been used ...

This Welsh castle is situated in the north of Pembrokeshire. The castle was built in around 1100 by the Norman Gerald of Windsor and he built it on rocks overlooking the River Teifi. The castle was ...

Cleeve Abbey was founded by William, Earl of Roumare, for Cistercian monks at the end of the twelfth century. His grandfather was William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln who founded the Cistercian abbey ...

Clun Castle was constructed shortly after the Norman Conquest by Robert 'Picot' de Say, a follower of William the Conqueror. Situated in the area called the Welsh Marches, the castle's location was ...

Coity Castle, now a substantial stone ruin was originally a ringwork, or keep and bailey castle. A ringwork castle is the same as a motte and bailey castle, but without the mound or motte. Payn de Turberville ...

Colchester Castle is located on the exposed East coast of the country and was needed by William the Conqueror to defend against the invading Danes. At Colchester there were the remains of a large Roman ...

Conisbrough Castle was a Norman castle belonging to William, Earl Warenne, son-in-law of William the Conqueror. The castle or area where it now stands appears to have belonged to the de Warenne family. ...

Conwy Castle was built by King Edward I as part of his mission to subdue the Welsh in the north of Wales. The castle was designed by Edward's master castle builder, James of St. George and it consists ...

Corfe Castle is a ruin now, but this castle has had an important role to play in Medieval times. The date of its rise as a castle is unknown, and the Domesday may be making reference to it when it details ...

Cressing Temple is situated in Essex three miles north of Witham. The site was given to the Knights Templars in 1137 by Matilda, wife of King Stephen, who they helped to the throne. The estate could ...

Criccieth Castle is an Edwardian castle converted from an earlier Welsh fortification located on headland overlooking Cardigan Bay. The original Welsh castle was possibly built by Llywelyn the Great. ...

Remains of what was originally a motte and bailey castle located at the centre of the small Welsh town of Crickhowell. The castle at its height of importance would have had a shell keep on the motte with ...

Crowland Abbey, also known as Croyland Abbey, is situated in Crowland, Lincolnshire and its remains are attached to the parish church. The abbey was founded by Ethelbald, the King of Mercia, early in ...

Croxden Abbey is a ruined abbey founded in around 1176 near Alton (Alton Towers) by Bertram de Verdun who sought monks from a Aunay-sur-Odon Abbey in Normandy to construct the new church. It was common ...

Very little remains of what ince was a small motte and bailey castle.The motte once was topped by a round tower....

The foundation of Cwmhir in the secluded mountains of mid Wales is confused and has been documented to be either 1143 or 1176. Cistercian monks from Whitland Abbey built the church with the backing ...

Cymer Abbey was founded in around 1198 by Cistercian monks and descendants of Owain Gwynedd. It is located on the banks of the River Mawddach near the small village of Llanelltyd, just north of Dolgellau. ...

Dartmouth Castle is one of a pair of castles that guard the entrance of the wide estuary of the River Dart at Dartmouth on the south coast of Devon. The other smaller castle in the pair is the Kingswear ...

One of the gun-forts built by King Henry VIII along the south coast of England to help prevent attack....

Remains of a motte and bailey castle....

This original Dark Ages fort built on top of two outcrops of rock and used by the important Welsh ruler Maelgwyn, King of Gwynedd was later reused by the Normans. Not much of the stone castle remains. ...

Denbigh castle is situated on the south side of the town high on a hill. It belonged to a series of Welsh princes before being rebuilt by the English in stone. It was granted to Dafydd ap Gruffydd by ...

Devizes is located in Wiltshire and was constructed originally from wood. When this burnt down a new castle was built from stone by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury in around 1120. The castle was destroyed ...

Very little remains of what once a wood and stone castle built on hill with steep sides by the Normans. The castle may have been built on the site of an earlier hill fort.The main ward is rectangular ...

This castle, also known as Dynevor Castle, is located within the grounds of Dinefwr Park. It was an important castle in the Deheubarth region of south Wales and was the principal seat of the rulers of ...

Earthwork remains of a timber castle....

Remains of a large stone keep....

Castell Dolbadarn is located in North Wales at the foot of Snowdon and guards the road through the pass of Llanberis to Caernarfon. It is built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the pass and its round tower ...

This stone castle was the property of the father of Llywelyn the Great and supposed to be Llywelyn's birth place. Little is known of the history of the castle except that it was captured by King Edward ...

Donnington Castle's can be found just north of Newbury in Berkshire. A family called Abberbury owned the land and a licence to crenellate was granted to Richard Abberbury by King Richard II in 1385 (or ...

Dover Castle is situated at the shortest sea crossing of English Channel. This has made it one of the most important defensive sites in Britain. The site dates back to the Iron Age and has a Roman lighthouse ...

Possible remains of a motte and bailey castle....

This Welsh castle was probably built in the first half of the thirteenth century, but no records exist to tell when exactly this was. The castle was built on a high rocky location overlooking the Tywi ...

Dublin Castle was built on the orders of King John to provide an administrative centre and a secure location for the storage of taxes....

Dudley Castle was originally a Norman castle and was built in the Midlands by William Fitz-Ansculf just after the Norman Conquest in 1071. The land had been held by Edwin, Earl of Mercia, in the time ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle. The original wooden fortifications later replaced by stone....

Dundrum Castle was first constructed by John de Courcy, a Norman knight, in around 1177 when we invaded and took control of the Ulidia (Ulster) region of Ireland. The castle is situated on a hill to ...

Dunfermline Abbey was founded by Margaret, the wife of Malcom Cranmore in around 1070. Margaret was the sister of f Edgar the Aetheling and had fled with her brother to Scotland after the Norman Invasion ...

The priory was founded in 1131 or 1132. The church of St. Peter's has now replaced the original church but contains sections of the original building that was constructed over several hundred years. ...

The construction of Dunstanburgh Castle was started in around 1313 by Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. The castle is situated on rocky outcrops near the sea on the Northumbrian coast. The curtain wall of ...

Originally a Saxon fort. Replaced by stone in the medieval period but mostly destroyed at the end of the English Civil War. A Victorial mansion now stands on the site....

Durham Castle, a Norman Castle, now forms part of the university of Durham. As the castle is part of the University it is not generally open to the public but guided tours do take place....

Durham Cathedral is built on a peninsular carved out by a sudden turn of the river Wear. The body of Cuthbert was brought to Durham in 995 a hundred years after being moved from Lindisfarne where it was ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle. Also known as Castletump. ...

Easby Abbey was founded in about 1152 by Roald, constable of Richmond and was part of the Premonstratensian order. Athough it was suppressed in 1536 and quickly became a ruin it is one of the best-preserved ...

Also known as Great Easton Castle. Possible remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Details to follow....

Egremont Castle was built by William de Meschines in around 1130. Built on the remains of previous fortifications, it stands on a mound to the north of the River Ehen in the Lake District. Although ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle. Today the top of the motte has a bowling green on it....

Remains of an earthwork castle on top of a hill....

Remains of a motte and bailey castle dating back to around 1080 and was built by Robert de Umfraville alongside a stream. The castle was abandoned and never fortified in stone or remodelled so the original ...

Elstow Abbey was founded in around 1075 by Judith, the niece of William the Conqueror. The construction of the abbey began at this time. The Abbey followed the Benedictine rule and was populated by ...

Ely Cathedral's site dates back to at least AD 673, when a monastery for both monks and nuns was founded by St. Etheldreda. Etheldreda died on 23 June 679 and on 17 October 695 her body was moved from ...

Evesham Abbey was another victim of the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540 ordered by Henry VIII. A church existed on the site before 700. The site was chosen by St. Ecgwine when he saw the location ...

This castle is hidden in trees near Hawarden in North Wales. You need to park on the road and cross a field to find it. Parts of the castle were constructed in stone during the 13th century by the Welsh ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Important Norman castle. Also known as Rougemont Castle because of the colour of the stone work. Parts of the Norman gatehouse can still be seen....

Exeter Cathedral is different in design to the other cathedrals in England. One of the most striking features of the cathedral is that the two towers act as the transepts. This means that there is no ...

Originally a motte and bailey castle built by the Norman William de Malet. The motte can still be seen with some remains of stonework on the top. The motte was built upon in Victorian times and the remains ...

Seventeen miles east-south-east of London the remains of a castle with a shell keep can still be seen. The outer walls still stand to substantial height. Originally a wooden building that was rebuilt ...

Site of a Norman castle....

Farleigh Hungerford Castle is located in Somerset and was built by Sir Thomas Hungerford after he bought the estate of Farleigh in 1370. The early castle consisted of a rectangular bailey wall with ...

Farnham Castle consists of the remains of a motte and bailey castle that would have had a large square tower on top. The castle is situated on a steep hill giving both protection from attack and excellent ...

Flint Castle was built during King Edward I's war against Llywelyn and was one of a series of castles constructed in the north of Wales by the English. Construction of the castle at Flint began in ...

Site of a Norman castle built on top of a hill. Also known as Caesar's Camp. ...

In 1101 Robert of Arbrissel established a religious community at Fontevraud several miles to the west of Chinon. The land was protected by three castles belonging to the Count of Anjou which helped ...

The Cistercian monastery, Forde Abbey, was founded in 1136 by Richard de Brioniis at Brightley in Devon. The land was too barren for an agricultural community and this forced the monks to return to ...

The motte is all that remains now of Fotheringhay Castle located to the south east of the small village, The castle was built at the end of the eleventh or at the start of the twelfth centuries by Simon ...

Fountains Abbey is located in Yorkshire and was a Cistercian abbey. it was founded in 1132 when a group of Benedictine monks from St Mary's at York arrived at Ripon to celebrate Christmas. They then ...

Framlingham Castle's location was probably fortified in some way a long time before the Normans first starting building their castle on it. After the Conquest Roger Bigod, a Norman knight who may have ...

Furness Abbey is located in Cumbria a few mile north of Barrow-in-Furness. It was initially founded by Savignac monks in 1127 but was taken over by the Cistercians twenty years later. A small amount ...

Garendon Abbey was the first of five abbeys whose parent was Waverley Abbey. Garendon was founded in 1133 by Robert, the Earl of Leicester....

The remains of Glastonbury Abbey are situated in Somerset in what was once a marshy landscape of small interconnected islands known as Avalon. A history of the Abbey was written by William of Malmsbury ...

Gloucester Cathedral's history goes back a long time. In 681 King Ethelred gave Osric permission to found a monastery in Gloucester in honour of St. Peter. In 1048, A few years before the Norman Conquest ...

Goodrich Castle is situated overlooking a crossing point on the river Wye a few miles south-west of Ross-on-Wye. First mentioned in connection with Godric Mappestone in 1101, an owner of land in the ...

At Greenwich on the southern bank of the River Thames in London Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester constructed new buildings on the site of an old medieval abbey starting in 1433. He built a tower as a lookout ...

Grosmont Castle is situated on top of a hill and cut off from the small town that would of, in the past, been located near it by a deep ditch. The castle is relatively small but very strong. The entrance ...

Hadliegh Castle stands on a ridge of unstable land overlooking the Thames estuary and may have been closer to the water than it is today. The castle has become a ruin over time but small sections of it ...

Hailes Abbey was a Cistercian monastery built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall. Vowing to found a religious house if he survived a dangerous episode at sea, Richard returned and kept his promise with the ...

The remains of Halton Castle overlook the village of Halton near Runcorn and Liverpool. The castle's curtain wall can still be seen. The gatehouse was once a courthouse but has now been converted into ...

The lease of Hampton was obtained by Cardinal Wolsey in 1514, early in the reign of King Henry VIII. At the height of his power the Cardinal was able to build a magnificent palace. Only sections of ...

Remains of a major stone castle....

Harlech Castle is one of a group of castles built by King Edward I in Wales. Begun in 1283 this castle was designed and built by James of St. George, a master castle builder employed for his castle ...

Very little of the original castle now remains but there is enough for a visit and the views make the effort worthwhile. Some of the cliffedge land the castle stood on has disappeared though natural erosion ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle....

A welsh castle supposed to have been built by Gilbert de Clare sometime in the twelfth century....

The remains of this medieval castle include a round keep and some low sections of wall. The castle is located in north Wales five miles to the west of Chester. It was agreed that the castle was to be ...

Hedingham Castle was built in around 1140 by Aubrey de Vere an Essex land owner. All that remains of the castle is the keep which is rectangular in plan and stands to a height of 110 feet. In places ...

Remains of a large stone castle....

Hereford Cathedral is dedicated to St. Mary and St. Ethelbert. According to the historian Bede, in 676 Bishop Putta of Rochester, after the sack of his own city and cathedral by Aethelred, was granted ...

Herstmonceux Castle's construction started in around 1440 by Sir Roger Fiennes, the treasurer to Henry V. Sir Roger chose the new fashion of building in brick, something he had seen while campaigning ...

A castle was built at Hertford in around 910 by Edward the Elder. The castle was captured by Prince Louis and the rebel barons in the rebellion against King John. The first Norman structure on the site ...

Hever Castle is a fortified manor house located near Edenbridge to the south of London. The earliest recorded details regarding its construction is in 1272 when Sir Stephen de Penchester was granted ...

Remains of a moated motte and bailey castle....

A stone castle was built on the banks of the river Dee to protect a crossing. ...

The remains of a twelfth century keep in the middle of a field on private land. The castle can be seen from the side of the road....

Hurst Castle is located on a thin piece of land that extends from the south coast of Hampshire into the Solent towards the Isle of Wight. The castle can be visited either via boat or by walking along ...

Inchmahome Priory, an Augustinian house, was founded in 1238 by Walter, the Earl of Montieth. It is located on a small island on the Lake of Montieth about thirteen miles to the west of Stirling. What ...

Possible castle....

An abbey was first founded in Wensleydale by Alan, Count of Brittany, at a place called Fors and later known as Dalegrange. The abbey was originally founded by members of the Savigny Order under the direction ...

Kenilworth Castle was founded in around 1120 by Geoffrey de Clinton who was Henry I's Lord Chamberlain. The castle he built was probably a wooden motte and bailey type construction. If there was a motte ...

This castle was built and controlled by the Normans as they attempted to take control of South Wales. A wooden castle was built on the banks of the river Gwendraeth by Roger, bishop of Salisbury in around ...

Very few remains of a small stone castle....

Kilpeck Church is a Hereford and Worcester medieval church dating from around 1140. The south door, shown here has zigzags, monsters, flowering plants, etc. Inside the church is a nave, chancel and ...

Remains of a major Norman stone castle located on a rocky outcrop above the river Nidd. It was the location where the murderers of Thomas Becket took refuge after their terrible deed. The Honour and ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle with stone keep....

Krak of the Knights. This is a huge crusader castle built in the Holy Land in the early twelfth century. The castle is built on a spur of land with the natural defence of steep slopes on three of its ...

Laugharne Castle stands guard overlooking the River Taf that flows into Carmarthen Bay. Over the centuries the river has silted up but in medieval times would have been navigable by large ships. The first ...

Launceston Castle is located at the centre of Cornwall and the original wooden fort was built just after the Norman Conquest in around 1067 by Robert, Count of Mortain. In the 13th century Richard ...

Leeds Castle in Kent occupies three islands formed by an artificial lake. The outermost island (Barbican) nearest the shore of the lake can be accessed by three different causeways. All the causeways ...

Lewes Castle is situated In Sussex and construction was begun in around 1080. The castle has two mottes which is unusual....

Lichfield Cathedral is built on the site of the church of St. Chad, the bishop of the Mercians in 667. His shrine on the site was a place for pilgrims to travel to. Although a lot of rebuilding work has ...

This Arroasian abbey located in Shropshire four miles to the north east of Telford was founded in around 1148 by Richard de Belmeis. Sometime later the Arroasian Order was absorbed into the Augustinian ...

Lincoln Castle is just one of the two castles in England that has two mottes, the other example being Lewes Castle in East Sussex. In 1068, only a couple of years after the Norman Invasion, a Norman-style ...

Lincoln Cathedral, situated on a hill in the city of Lincoln, can be seen from many miles in all directions. The building of the first cathedral, dedicated to St. Mary, began in around 1074 and was ...

Llandaff Cathedral is situated in Cardiff, South Wales, the core of the present cathedral was begun in 1107 by Bishop Urban and was built on a site made holy in the sixth century. The church was dedicated ...

Substantial remains of a Norman castle built high on cliffs overlooking the Twyi estuary south of Carmarthen in South Wales. The Normans built their castle on the site that had been used since the Iron ...

This Augustinian priory is situated in a remote location in the Welsh hills. In around 1103 a knight called William de Lacy took shelter in a chapel while out hunting and was so taken by the beauty ...

LLawhaden Castle, located about ten miles east of Haverfordwest in south Wales, started it's life as a property of the Bishop's of St. Davids. Bishop Thomas of Bek in the reign of King Edward I rebuilt ...

A bridge of one kind or another has crossed the river Thames at London since Roman times. Remains of parts of the bridge and clues of Roman occupation has been found on the riverbed. At this time the ...

Ruins of an early 12th century royal hunting palace....

Ludlow Castle is situated in the Marches of Wales. Ludlow is one of the most important castles of the area and was the main stronghold of the Earls of March. The early history of the castle is not clear ...

Not a medieval castle....

A small motte and bailey castle now with a rectangular stone keep on top of the mound. ...

Manorbier Castle is a well preserved castle located on the south coast of Wales near Pembroke. It stands very close to the shoreline overlooking Manorbier Bay. Originally built by the Norman baron Odo ...

Margam Abbey is located a few miles to the south east of Port Talbot in Wales. It was founded in 1147 by Robert, Earl of Gloucester and monks from the mother house Clairvaux. This Cistercian abbey ...

Stone castle built by King Henry III on Lundy Island....

Maxstoke castle is privately owned and is only open to the public once or twice a year. The licence to crenellate or fortify the manor was given to William de Clinton, the Earl of Huntingdon and Constable ...

Middleham Castle is a large stone-built castle located to the west of the River Ure in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The first castle was constructed shortly after the Conquest of England on the current ...

Remains of a timber Norman castle that later rebuilt in stone....

Remains of a motte and bailey castle built on a hill....

Montgomery Castle was formerly a motte and bailey style fort and was rebuilt in stone starting in 1223 by King Henry III and completed in around 1228 by Hubert de Burgh. Hubert was responsible ...

Located in Neath in South Wales this abbey now lies in ruins. Founded in 1111 by Richard de Granville and his wife Constance the abbey was originally a Savigniac house but in 1147 became Cistercian ...

Originally a Iron Age settlement which was reused by the Saxons and Normans. The Norman works were possibly built by Robert Count or Mortain at the end of the eleventh century....

The remarkably complete remains of Netley Abbey can be found a few miles to the south west of Southampton overlooking Southampton Water and is now cared for by English Heritage. Peter des Roches and Cistercian ...

Newark Castle was built by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, between the years 1125 and 1135. Alexander also built the castles at Sleaford and Banbury. King Stephen arrested Alexander in June of 1139 ...

Remains of Norman a stone keep built on a hill above a bend in the River Ogmore. The Norman doorway is the best preserved section of the castle....

This medieval castle is located on the border between England and Scotland and saw much military action. It is located on the southern shore of the River Tweed on a steep hill. It was constructed in 1121 ...

Norwich Castle dates back to 1067 when William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a fortification in the town to guard against attack from the Danes. The original castle would have been a motte ...

Norwich Cathedral was begun in 1096. In 1094 under the Norman bishop Herbert de Losinga, the site for the cathedral was moved from its temporary location at Thetford after the Norman Conquest to Norwich. ...

Very little remains of this important castle. In 852 the Danes built a tower on the rock that lies to the south-west of Nottingham. The Saxons could not remove the Danes by force but had to blockade ...

Nunney Castle's construction in Somerset began in around 1373 by Sir John de la Mare. The original castle consisted of a rectangular bailey and a tower-house at the centre surrounded by a moat. The ...

Odiham Castle is sited on a bend of the river Whitewater in Hampshire. This castle was build by King John at a cost of £1200. The octagonal keep was rare for the time. The castle was granted to ...

This castle, orginally built by the Norman William de Londres, sometime between 1106 and 1116, is in a remote location which was chosen to protect crossing points of the rivers Ewenny and Ogmore. ...

Remains of what was once a large medieval castle....

Old Sarum's site has been used for thousands of years for one use or another. The Iron Age hill fort could have been built for defence to accommodate the whole community at times of attack. Several Roman ...

Old Wardour Castle was built at the end of the fourteenth century by John Lovel. The land had been owned by the St Martin family, but when Sir Lawrence de St Martin died in 1385 it was handed over to ...

The location of the medieval Whitehall Palace lies to the north of the current Houses of Parliament on the west side of the River Thames. It occupied the land between Westminster Abbey, built by Edward ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Orford Castle was built in 1165 when King Henry II ordered that a new castle should be built overlooking Orford harbour in Suffolk. The Earl of Suffolk, Hugh Bigod had long been a thorn in Henry's ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle....

The construction of a castle at Oxford was ordered by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest. The town of Oxford was built at an important crossing point of the River Thames and William recognised ...

Oxford Cathedral is the smallest of the English cathedrals because in 1525 half of the length of the nave was removed to make room for a quadrangle that was part of the Cardinal College, now the Tom ...

Located to the south of Swansea bay this castle is built on a hill a few hundred yards back from the shoreline. It was constructed in around 1100 by William de Londres, one of the twelve knights who ...

Only the earthworks of this former large motte and bailey castle are all that remain. Built by Payn Fitz-John sometime before 1137. The motte once supported a round tower and the bailey is roughly rectangular ...

Pembroke Castle is built on a promontory that extends out into the Pembroke RIver and is protected on three sides by steep cliffs, In 1093 Ranulph (Roger) de Montgomery built a fort on the site probably ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Pendennis Castle was built in around 1540 by King Henry VIII at the entrance to the River Fal at Falmouth. This area known as Carrick Roads is a natural deep water harbour. On the other side of the ...

Remains of a large Norman castle with round keep. Located in south Wales a few miles north of Oxwich. Originally of wooden construction the castle was rebuilt in stone during the thirteenth century. ...

Remains of a motte and bailey castle. On private land. Exact location not known....

The earliest date in the history of Pershore Abbey is around 689 when a monastery was founded by Oswald who was given the land by his uncle Ethelred of Mercia. In 972 a charter given by King Edgar confirmed ...

An abbey was founded on the site around 655 by either Saxulf or Peada the first Christian king of Mercia. The abbey was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 655. At the end of the 9th century ...

Pevensey Castle is located on the south coast of England and had once been a Roman fort. It is where William the Conqueror landed in September 1066 when he invaded the country. Before marching to ...

Remains of a stone castle situated on a commanding position on the edge of a cliff....

Remains of a major Norman castle....

The design of the castle has altered greatly over time so it is not known what the original fortifications consisted of. What exists today is a large rectangular block with four attached round towers ...

This medieval stone castle was built by the Abbot of the nearby Furness Abbey on an island to protect the important medieval harbour of Barrow-in-Furness and as a place of refuge from the invading Scots. ...

Remains of a large motte and bailey castle....

Remains of a motte and bailey castle....

Pontefract Castle is located in the town of Pontefract in West Yorkshire to the east of Leeds. It is most famous for being the place that Richard II, the King of England, was murdered in 1400. Originally ...

Portchester Castle was a significant fort in Roman times and has remained in good condition because of its continued use over the years. It stands on the shore near Portsmouth harbour and is rectangular ...

Possible remains of a motte and bailey castle...

Now a mansion of the site on a medieval castle....

Remains of a motte and bailey castle built on low lying land. Unusually the motte is situated at the centre of the bailey. The castle was built in around 1164 by the Norman Robert Banastre but abandoned ...

Remains of a major Norman stone castle built on a hill just to the south of the River Tyne. The owners of the site in the reign of Henry I were the Umfraville family and they built a castle. In 1173 ...

Remains of a small motte and bailey castle....