History
Rochester Castle was originally a Roman castrum, or military camp. After the Norman Invasion of 1066 a new castle was built on a hill near the site on which the current castle now stands. This early castle would have been a wooden motte and bailey type. In 1088 Rocester Castle came under attack during the conflict between William Rufus and Odo the bishop of Bayeux. In 1087, after William the Conqueror had died, control of Normandy was disputed. Odo, along with many others, supported William's elder brother Robert, Duke of Normandy, while others supported William Rufus, the Conqueror's younger brother. Odo had control of Rochester Castle and it became the headquarters for the rebels. The castle fell to William Rufus' army and Odo was forced into exile. Gundulf, the bishop of Rochester, orchestrated the construction of a stone castle alongside the Norman cathedral. In 1126 the construction of the large keep was begun by William de Corbeil, the Archbishop of Canterbury. At 125 feet high the keep at Rochester is the tallest in England. The keep has a square ground plan and has four corner towers that project slightly. The entrance to the keep is through a fore-building with a drawbridge. Over the centuries the castle was the scene of many conflicts including King John's attempt to regain the castle from the Barons and in 1264 Simon de Montfort's rebellion. It was during King John's siege of the castle that undermining brought down one of the southern corners of the keep. The destroyed corner tower was later rebuilt. more...
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