Hull Castle

Hull Castle stands on the east bank of the River Hull in Kingston upon Hull. Built in 1542 under Henry VIII’s Device programme, it was part of a larger defensive system that included two blockhouses and a curtain wall with a moat. The castle had a central rectangular keep flanked by two large curved bastions, while the blockhouses to the north and south each had three bastions and thick walls designed to withstand attack. Materials for the construction came from recently dissolved monasteries, including Meaux Abbey and local friaries, and bricks were made on site. The defences were linked by a crenellated wall nearly 900 metres long, with a wet moat on the east side to deter invaders. The fort played a key role in England’s coastal defences during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was used to imprison Catholic recusants in harsh conditions and saw action during the English Civil War sieges of the 1640s. After the Restoration, the castle was neglected until Charles II redeveloped the eastern defences in 1681, creating a larger fortification called the Citadel. The South Blockhouse was incorporated into this new design, while the North Blockhouse was demolished in 1801. The castle and blockhouses remained in use until the Citadel was demolished in 1864 to make way for new docks. Today, the foundations of Hull Castle survive beneath the modern docklands. Archaeological investigations have uncovered remnants of the keep, bastions and curtain wall, offering clues to its original scale and structure. The site lies near the riverbank, close to where the blockhouses once stood, and is part of the wider heritage of Kingston upon Hull’s maritime past. Visitors can trace the outline of the defences and imagine the castle’s role in defending the town during turbulent centuries of war and political change.