Mountfitchet Castle
From Wikishire
| Stansted Mountfitchet Castle | |
|
Essex | |
|---|---|
 The entrance to the castle | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL515250 |
| Location: | 51°54’10"N, 0°12’4"E |
| Village: | Stansted Mountfitchet |
| History | |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Reconstructed |
Mountfitchet Castle, othewrwise known as Stansted Mountfitchet Castle, is a Norman ringwork and bailey fortification at Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex.
History
The castle was built following the Norman conquest of England by the Mountfitchet family.[1] It was constructed on high ground with a ringwork defence, enclosing around half an acre, and a bailey complex, enclosing one acre on slightly lower ground.[2] Within the ringwork was a keep, within a small, round enclosure.[2]
In the 1980s the castle was reconstructed as a tourist attraction.[1] Although efforts were made during the reconstruction to protect the original features of the castle, the transformation and subsequent tourist numbers have caused damage to the site.[3]
References
Books
- Blockley, Marion (1999). "Archaeological Reconstructions and the Community in the UK". in Planel, Philippe; Stone, Peter G.. The Constructed Past: Experimental Archaeology, Education and the Public. London, UK: Routledge. pp. 15–32. ISBN 9780203205822.
- Pettifer, Adrian (1995). English Castles: a Guide by Counties. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. ISBN 9780851157825.
