Great Ashfield Castle

Great Ashfield Castle stands on a low hill east of the village of Great Ashfield in Suffolk. It is a Norman motte and bailey castle built soon after the Conquest. The central mound, or motte, rises 24 feet above the surrounding ground. A wide ditch, or fosse, circles the motte and measures 18 feet across. Some experts believe the ditch was added after the castle was first built. The castle is one of the best-preserved motte and bailey sites in East Anglia. Archaeologists have studied the earthworks and found traces of timber buildings on the mound. The bailey, the lower enclosed area, once held stables and workshops. Today the castle is protected as a scheduled monument. Visitors walk around the grassy mound and look down into the wide ditch. The flat top of the motte offers wide views over the Suffolk countryside. The village church and farmland lie nearby. The site is quiet and open, with no modern buildings inside the old defences.