Stansted Mountfitchet Castle
| Stansted Mountfitchet Castle | |
|---|---|
| Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England | |
|
The entrance to the castle | |
  Stansted Mountfitchet Castle | |
| Coordinates | grid reference TL515250 |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Site history | |
| Materials | Stone and timber |
Stansted Mountfitchet Castle, also termed simply Mountfitchet Castle, is a Norman ringwork and bailey fortification in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England.
History
Reconstructed interior of the castle
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 0.5 acres (0.20 ha), and a bailey complex, enclosing 1 acre (0.40 ha) 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]
See also
References
Bibliography
- 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.