Mountfitchet Castle

From Wikishire
Jump to navigation Jump to search
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

Reconstructed interior

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

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pettifer, p.74.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 'Stansted Mountfitchet', An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex, Volume 1: North West (1916), pp. 275-280. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=122476 Date accessed: 5 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Blockley, p.17.

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. 
Retrieved from "https://wikishire.co.uk/w/index.php?title=Mountfitchet_Castle&oldid=29033"