Cambridge Castle

Cambridge Castle, locally also known as Castle Mound, is in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. Built after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 to control the strategically important route to the north of England, it played a role in the conflicts of the Anarchy and the First and Second Barons' Wars. Hugely expanded by Edward I, the castle then fell rapidly into disuse in the late medieval era, its stonework robbed for building purposes in the surrounding colleges. Cambridge Castle was refortified during the English Civil War but once again fell into disuse, used primarily as the county jail. The castle jail was finally demolished in 1842, with a new prison built in the castle bailey.

This prison was demolished in 1932, replaced with the modern Shire Hall, and only the castle motte and limited earthworks still stand. The site is open to the public daily and offers views over the historic buildings of the city.

Text adapted from “Cambridge Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cambridge Castle ranks #2,740 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #193 of the 329 mapped in England. Founded 1066, it is older than 89% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 317 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,316 times in the last 60 days, more than 55% of the atlas. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Cambridge, 1 km away. See how England compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗