Goodrich Castle

Goodrich Castle stands on a high rocky sandstone outcrop above the River Wye, about six kilometres from Ross-on-Wye. It commands a crossing of the river used since Roman times, guarding the old road from Gloucester into Wales. The castle’s heart is a small square keep of light grey sandstone, built soon after the Norman Conquest. Its thick walls and single rooms on each floor made it useful for defence rather than comfort. The keep once had an earth mound piled against its base to stop attackers. Stonework near the ground remains rough where the mound once pressed against it. The castle expanded in the late 13th century into a concentric design with three large towers and deep rock-cut ditches. The southern and eastern sides have ditches up to 27 metres long and nine metres deep, exploiting natural cracks in the rock. The towers have distinctive spurs that stop miners from digging underneath. The gatehouse is an asymmetrical Edwardian design with one tower much larger than the other. It once held portcullises, murder holes and a drawbridge, with a barbican beyond that could trap intruders inside. A stone causeway links the gatehouse to the barbican. Inside the main walls lie domestic buildings arranged to support defence. The great hall overlooks the river and has large windows and a huge fireplace. The castle had garderobes, kitchens with running water by the 17th century, and separate quarters for servants and nobility. The chapel in the gatehouse tower has a restored 15th-century window and an older altar. Beyond the walls stands a ruined stable block that once held sixty horses, later enlarged. The whole site shows how military needs shaped comfortable living spaces in the Welsh Marches.