Tonbridge Castle

Tonbridge Castle stands on the west bank of the River Medway in Kent. It began as a motte-and-bailey built for Richard Fitz Gilbert after the Norman Conquest. To create the motte and moat workers shifted fifty thousand tonnes of earth. In 1088 the de Clare family’s rebellion led William II to burn the castle and town. By 1100 the de Clares rebuilt it in stone with a shell keep. The twin-towered gatehouse was started by Richard de Clare, third Earl of Hertford, and took thirty years to finish in 1260. Its design resembles gatehouses at Caerphilly Castle built later by Gilbert de Clare. During Edward I’s visits to France the great seal of England was kept temporarily at Tonbridge. The mansion added in 1793 and the castle are both Grade I listed. Today the council owns the site and uses the mansion as offices. The grounds form a public park around the medieval ruins. A six-mile cycle route called The Tudor Trail begins at the gatehouse and leads to Penshurst Place.