Hertford Castle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hertford Castle

Hertford Castle was a Norman castle in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, England, built on a site first fortified by Edward the Elder, around 911 A.D. It later became a royal residence, after passing to the crown in 1211.

Although the original castle is now gone, the gatehouse, constructed by Henry VIII, still remains.

The castle fell into disuse as a royal residence, and was later granted by Charles I to William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, whose family would rent it to various tenants over the next three hundred years. One notable tenant would be the East India Company College during its first years of existence between 1805 and 1809.

The castle now acts as the offices of the town council.