Scheduled Monuments›England›Norwich Castle

Norwich Castle

England
List entry 1004054
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1004054
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
3.65 hectares
Grid reference
TG2314308544
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Norwich Castle is a Norman keep built in the late eleventh century, constructed shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066 as both a royal fortress and a symbol of Norman authority in East Anglia. The castle's most distinctive feature is its massive stone keep, originally rising over one hundred feet high with walls of Caen stone and flint rubble, which remains one of the finest surviving examples of Norman military architecture in England. Following its construction under William the Conqueror's reign, the castle served important administrative and defensive functions throughout the medieval period and was later adapted for use as a county gaol and museum. Today the keep dominates Norwich's skyline and is preserved as a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Monument, housing significant art and history collections that reflect its role as a centre of regional power for nearly a millennium.

Norwich Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1004054. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Norwich Castle?

Norwich Castle is a Norman keep built in the late eleventh century, constructed shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066 as both a royal fortress and a symbol of Norman authority in East Anglia. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1004054.

Who is responsible for protecting Norwich Castle?

Norwich Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1004054.

What other scheduled monuments are near Norwich Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Late Neolithic or Bronze Age Henge type monument and D shaped enclosure 300m west of Twins Farm (3.2 km), Barrow cemetery 450m N of Markshall Farm (3.9 km), Moated site at the Manor House, Arminghall (4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Norwich Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Norwich Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Norwich Castle report
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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Late Neolithic or Bronze Age Henge type monument and D shaped enclosure 300m west of Twins Farm
3.2 km
Barrow cemetery 450m N of Markshall Farm
3.9 km
Moated site at the Manor House, Arminghall
4 km
Multi phased site dating from the Neolithic to the Anglo-Saxon period east of Harford Farm
4.3 km
Remains of medieval settlement 380m south of Park Farm
4.4 km
Remains of medieval settlement 400m east of Church Farm, Arminghall
4.5 km
Anglo-Saxon cemetery SW of Markshall Farm
4.6 km
Roman sites outside town walls
4.6 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Norwich Castle

Norwich Castle stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Norwich Castle

Caistor St EdmundsRoman town · ~3.1 miles
Domesday entry for Norwich, Norfolk →
All Scheduled Monuments