Penwortham Castle

Penwortham Castle stands on a grassy mound beside the River Ribble west of Preston. The mound is all that remains of a once-tall motte built soon after the Norman Conquest. Roger of Poitou raised the wooden keep and palisade to watch the river’s estuary and the ford below. In 1086 the Domesday Book listed six burgesses, three mounted men, eight villeins and four cattle keepers attached to the castle. When Roger began Lancaster Castle the site lost its importance and fell into disuse. By the early 13th century Randolph de Blundeville, Earl of Chester and Lancaster baron, still held courts on the mound. After his time the timber buildings rotted away and the earthworks were left to grass. The motte is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument protected by law. Visitors walk a gentle slope up the mound to see the wide views over the Ribble valley. The castle site sits among quiet fields and scattered houses of Penwortham village. From the top of the mound the river can be seen winding towards Preston docks. On clear days the hills of the Forest of Bowland rise in the distance. The mound itself is covered in short turf and wild thyme in summer. It is a peaceful spot where the only sounds are skylarks and the wind in the hawthorn hedges.