Gannock Castle
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Gannock Castle is located in the village of Tempsford, in the county of Bedfordshire, England (grid reference TL16045293). It is located 6 miles east of Great Barford Castle and 9 miles east of Bedford Castle.
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[edit] History
Though called a castle, it was in truth a motte and bailey fortified manor house with a manorial complex, built by the Normans in the late 12th, or early 13th, century. It was built as a rectangular ward, enclosed by a moat, with a rampart. The small motte, located in the north-east section of the ward, is believed to have been the site of a beacon or timber tower.
There is belief that the castle was built on the site of a 10th century Danish Viking fort. This belief is because the Danish Vikings, who had landed in East Anglia in 865, participated in a battle at Tempsford in 921, on the exact location upon which Gannock castle was later built.
[edit] Present
There is still some evidence of the castle, in the form of earthworks, and the moat still remains. The site was given to the village of Tempsford by the owners of the Tempsford Estate in the 17th century. Currently, the site is owned by Bedfordshire County Council. The site is a Scheduled Monument, protected by law.
A geophysical survey of the castle site and adjoining playing field was carried out on 29 June 2004, by geophysical engineers, in the form of a Resistivity and Magnetometer survey.
[edit] Restoration
Restoration of Gannock Castle was begun on 19 June 2006, with an opening day Medieval fair. The local Member of Parliament, Mr Alistair Burt MP, was a guest speaker. The fair featured a medieval re-enactment group, as well as wandering minstrels and dancers. Numerous stalls were set up, with demonstrations of crafts, archery, and medieval combat.
The restoration's planned improvements to the site include the installation of benches and bird/bat boxes; restoration of a wildflower area; tree and scrub management; installation of an interpretation board and creation of a 'Heritage and Health' trail leaflet.
A causeway was built across the Gannock Castle moat, which is wet throughout the year, to allow greater access to the site. The causeway was not dug into the site, allowing it to be removed at a future date with no damage to the site.
The site contained extensive scrub which was cleared by specialists. The wood was logged, dried, and used as fire wood by local villagers. Smaller cuttings were mulched and spread across the site.
The site is freely accessible in daylight hours. Car parking is by the side of the road.
