Walton Castle was a Saxon Shore fort located on the cliffs at Walton-on-the-Naze in Suffolk, constructed in the late third century (c. AD 276–285) as part of the coastal defensive system later listed in the *Notitia Dignitatum*. The fort was substantial, with antiquarian observations describing walls of flint and septaria bonded with Roman mortar, around 9 feet thick and enclosing an area possibly comparable to other Shore forts such as Burgh Castle. It was progressively lost to coastal erosion through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with the last masonry collapsing into the sea by around 1740.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
As one of the *litus Saxonicum* forts under the command of the *Comes litoris Saxonici*, Walton formed part of the chain controlling the estuaries and approaches of the East Anglian coast, likely paired with Burgh Castle to police the Orwell, Stour and Deben estuaries against Saxon raiding and to oversee maritime traffic. Its loss represents a significant gap in our understanding of the Shore fort system, as it would have been a key node between Bradwell (Othona) and Burgh Castle (Gariannonum).
No structural remains survive in situ; knowledge derives almost entirely from antiquarian accounts, notably a 1722 description and sketch by John Kirby and earlier observations recording walls visible on the foreshore,
Walton Castle was a Saxon Shore fort located on the cliffs at Walton-on-the-Naze in Suffolk, constructed in the late third century (c. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Walton Castle is classified as a Roman fort — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Little Oakley Roman villa (12.9 km), Hacheston (20.4 km), Castle Hill, Whitton (20.5 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
Aubrey Research generates detailed historical reports for any location in Britain, incorporating Roman heritage, Domesday Book records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and much more. Enter a nearby address to begin.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on Roman heritage, Domesday records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Walton Castle