Summary

A moated brick castle built by Sir John Fastolf in about 1432, and altered by the Paston family later in the 15th century. The castle stands on the site of an earlier manor house and chapel. The castle is divided into two courtyards, separated by a spur of the moat, and has a six storey tower in the northwest corner. The remains of the hall and domestic buildings are still standing. The remains of buried walls are visible as parchmarks on aerial photographs. Detailed building accounts from the 15th century record the various rooms and buildings within the complex. The 15th century outbuildings of the castle, which may have formed part of an outer court, are now known as Caister Hall which was rebuilt in the 1830s. A 15th century gold betrothal ring was found in the moat in 1881.

Monument Types

• CASTLE (Medieval to Modern - 1066 AD to 2050 AD)
• CHANTRY COLLEGE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• COURTYARD HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ROAD (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• GREAT HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• FOOTBRIDGE (Cold War to Unknown - 1953 AD)

Associated Finds

• HUMAN REMAINS
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FINGER RING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

Mid 15th century brick castle, moated, and hall rebuilt mostly in 18th to 19th century. ?site of chapel or college?

19th century.
Neolithic flint found.

1881.
Medieval ring found

1950.
Post medieval jug found.

1963.
Human skull found
See details in file.
E. Rose (NAU) 27 September 1982.

June 2005. Norfolk NMP.
Earthworks, parchmarks and standing walls associated with Caister Castle are visible on aerial photographs (S1 and (S2). The castle is centred on TG 5048 1229.
The castle moat is rectangular in plan and is largely extant and water filled. It has external dimensions of 122m by 78m and is up to 18m wide. Two spurs from the main moat divide the inner court in the southwest from an outer courtyard to the northeast. These are not extant and are visible on aerial photographs as shallow earthworks and cropmarks (S1) and (S2). A parchmark crossing between these two infilled spurs appears to mark the position of a bridge or causeway. This parchmark continues along the northeast side of these sections of former moat indicting the presence of a track or road within the courtyard. Positive cropmarks cutting across the area of the bridge or causeway may represent drains leading into the moat. A single linear parchmark, probably marking the position of a wall is present in the eastern part of the outer courtyard. It extends for 11m on a northwest to southeast alignment parallel to the outer wall of the courtyard and may be part of a lean-to type structure.
Extant remains of walls are clearly visible around the inner courtyard of the castle (S1) and (S2). These are the exterior walls of a range of buildings that surrounded the courtyard. Two square parchmarks, representing buried walls, are present either side of the causeway or bridge leading to the outer courtyard (S1). The castle itself is visible on a large number of aerial photographs (S1) to (S9).
J. Albone (NMP), 13 June 2005.

In the early 1970s the Tree Walk from the Battersea Park Festival gardens, London, was moved to the castle. If it still exists it is an important relic of the Festival of Britain 1951.
E. Rose (NLA), 22 May 2006.

The castle is now the site of a motor museum.
M. Dennis (NLA), 9 November 2006.

11 March 2009.
Scheduled monument consent granted concerning borehole works, de-silting and brickwork repointing.
See (S10) for more details
H. White (NLA), 29 April 2009

Sources and further reading

Related records

Related thematic articles

• Castles in Norfolk (Article)
• West Caister (Parish Summary)
• West Caister, Caister Castle (Places to Visit)