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Archaeology, Sites to See

Waytemore Castle

Waytemore Castle, Bishop’s Stortford is the remains of a substantial ‘motte and bailey’ castle built for the Bishop of London in the 11th century, soon after this type of castle design was introduced by the Normans. A motte was a large earthen mound, which had a timber or stone built tower on the top. It formed the defensive strongpoint of a castle, while the bailey formed an enclosed living area. Most of the bailey now forms part of a public park, but the 9m high motte, which is of an unusual rectangular plan, still stands. Massive stone foundations, a gravelled causeway, worked stone, pottery, and human and animal bones have been found within the bailey, and the top of the motte is crowned with the remains of a flint-built shell keep, and two sunken chambers, perhaps the bases for timber towers.

The site is on the east side of Bishop’s Stortford town centre, in ‘Castle Gardens’, a public park which lies between ‘The Causeway’ and the railway. Grid reference TL 4900 2145.

Map showing Waytemore Castle