Norman keep; historical references

Rochester Castle. Having lived next door to it for two years, my primary source of inspiration has always been Rochester Castle. At the time, I didn't fully appreciate just how important the castle was, from a purely architectural perspective, and I regarded it as something of a typical Norman fortification. I later understood that by the standards of the period in which it was built, Rochester is quite a large castle.

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Hedingham Castle in Essex. Originally, very similar to Rochester, Hedingham has survived to this day as an intact, and functioning building. Although parts of the original keep have long since been scavaged for other buildings, and the rest of the castle is missing, Hedingham provides a very useful comparison to Rochester.

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Kalø Castle. Though it was built 247 years after the Norman invasion of England, Kalø still bears a lot of similarities to Norman designed castles. Its a relatively small castle but it was strategically effective, and it was the biggest motivating factor in my decision to start my model. For me the most important aspect of Kalø is it showed how a full scale castle, with multiple buildings and defensive positions, could be fitted on to a regular table top.

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Porchester Castle. It was from Porchester that I got the idea of adding so many buttresses to my model. These are meant to provide detail to the model to prevent it from becoming a mere dull box-with-battlements

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Other Norman castles of interest;
Colchester Castle. The largest keep ever built by the Normans. Today, only the ground floor remains, but this is in good condition.
Helmsley Castle. Not much is left of Helmsley's keep, but one wall still stands and gives a good idea of how a smaller Norman keep might have been laid out. It is deceptive however since the collapsed side did not mirror the remaining wall but was semi circular.


The Tower of London. One of the biggest and probably the best preserved Norman keep
Longtown Castle, Herefordshire.
Ludlow Castle. Shropshire.
Carisbrooke Castle. Isle of White.
Castle of Melfi. Basilicata.
Pickering Castle. One of William I's original Motte & Bailey castles, Pickering is a good example of a wooden fortification thatw as 'uparmoured' to stone.
Clitheroe Castle. Lancashire. One of the smallest Norman keep's in the UK
Trim Castle. County Meath. The largest Norman keep in Ireland.

Other interesting castles, similar in design to Norman castles;
Bolton Castle. Wensleydale.
Dolwyddelan Castle. Conwy.

See also;