Norman castles homework 28th
November 2023
ROCHESTER CASTLE
Sub-sections
Where was it?
What was its purpose?
What key features did you find?
Where was it?
Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the river Medway in
Rochester, Kent, Southeast England, this imposing fortress has a
complex history of destruction and rebuilding. The 12th-century
keep or stone tower, which is the castle's most prominent
feature, is one of the best preserved in England or France. Today
it stands as a proud reminder of the history of Rochester, along
with the cathedral and cobbled streets.
What was its purpose?
Its Norman tower-keep of Kentish ragstone was built
about 1127 by William of Corbeil, Archbishop of
Canterbury, with the encouragement of Henry I.
Consisting of three floors above a basement, it still stands
113 feet high. Attached is a tall protruding forebuilding,
with its own set of defences to pass through before the
keep itself could be entered at first floor level. In 1215,
garrisoned by rebel barons, the castle endured an epic
siege by King John. Having first undermined the outer
wall, John used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the
keep, bringing its southern corner crashing down. Even
then the defenders held on, until they were eventually
starved out after resisting for two months.
What key features did you find?
Rebuilt under Henry III and Edward I, the castle remained as a
viable fortress until the sixteenth century. Rochester Castle is
one of the best-preserved and finest examples of Norman
architecture in England. Its historical significance lies in its
role as a strategic fortification in the conflict between early
medieval kings and nobility.
The keep is one of the most impressive surviving medieval
castle buildings on account of its height of 38 metres (125
feet). The main exterior walling consists of courses of
irregular Kentish ragstone, but the corners of the building and
the arched windows were made of finely shaped Caen stone from Normandy.