Description
Castle Acre Castle and Bailey Gate Castle Acre, a tranquil rural village in Norfolk, boasts an extraordinary wealth of history. It is a rare and complete survival of a Norman planned settlement, including a castle, village, parish church and one of the best-preserved monastic sites in England, Castle Acre Priory. All this was the work of a great Norman baronial family, the Warennes, mainly during the 11th and 12th centuries.
Castle Acre Castle was founded soon after the Battle of Hastings by the first William de Warenne, a close associate of William the Conqueror. It is a superb and well-preserved example of a motte-and-bailey castle, and remains one of the most impressive Norman earthworks in the country. The Bailey Gate is one of two stone gatehouses added to the settlement's massive earthwork defences in about 1200. The main road into the village still runs between its towers.
Free Entry. If you are looking for Best place for day out with kids and families then this is the perfect destination offering fun, adventure, and unforgettable memories for everyone.
Features
- Paid
- Host birthday parties: No
Features
Castle Acre Castle was begun in the 1070s by William I de Warenne, a close associate of William the Conqueror who had fought at the Battle of Hastings. His descendants held Castle Acre until 1347 and several were major political and military figures. Within three generations the Warennes had created the castle, surrounded the town with massive ramparts and established its famous Cluniac priory.
The Warennes and the Early Castle: By 1066 there was already a settlement at Acre, together with a church[1] and the principal house of a substantial landowner called Toki, possibly on the site of the castle.[2] As with most of his class, Toki was soon dispossessed by the new Norman regime. His lands were briefly held by a Flemish family ennobled by William the Conqueror,[3] and their Norfolk property descended to an heiress, Gundrada.[4] It was through her that William I de Warenne, her husband, gained control of Castle Acre in about 1070.
17.65 miles
