ery 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 so the castle now appears smaller than it would have been. William the Conqueror first built a wooden motte and bailey castle on the site when he invaded Britain in 1066. The Normans brought pre-fabricated castles across from Normandy so that they could build fortifications quickly. The wooden fort was replaced by stone soon after William granted the area of Hastings and its castle to (his cousin?) Robert, Count of Eu. The Count founded a collegiate church within the confines of the castle dedicated to St. Mary. The majority of the stonework that can be seen today are the remains of the church including a section of the nave and an arch.