Devizes Castle

Devizes Castle stands on a mound in the Wiltshire town of Devizes, where three parishes once met. The present building is a Victorian-era castle designed by Henry Goodridge in a mix of Neo-Norman and Gothic Revival styles. It replaced an earlier Norman motte-and-bailey castle built around 1080 by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury. The original wooden structure burned in 1113 and was rebuilt in stone by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury, by 1120. The castle’s name comes from the Latin *Castrum ad divisas*, meaning ‘castle at the boundaries’. The castle has played a key part in English history. It held important prisoners such as Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, and Hubert de Burgh. During the Civil War it was besieged twice, first by Parliamentary forces under Sir William Waller in 1643 and later by Oliver Cromwell in 1645. After the war the castle was slighted on Parliament’s orders, though parts of the original earthworks survive. Excavations show the motte, ditch and buried remains of the medieval hall. Visitors find a Grade I listed mansion with nine bedrooms, a grand entrance hall and a long gallery. The drawing room and study have ornate ceilings with gilded bosses, while the kitchen and library occupy the ground floor. A turret bedroom sits above, reached by spiral staircases. Stone mullioned windows and fireplaces add to the Victorian Gothic feel. The castle sits on a 2.4-acre site with gardens front and rear, offering views over the town below.