Clan Rising

Bletchingley Castle

Bletchingley Castle is a Norman-period ringwork and bailey castle on a prominent part of the Greensand Ridge in Surrey. The site preserves earthwork banks and ditches, the foundations and partial masonry of a c.12th-century great-house and the footprint of a rectangular tower demolished in the 1260s. The monument today is an overgrown ruin with later 19th-century buildings set into the mound.

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Its prime

1170

Today

Ruin

As it stood in 1170

What Bletchingley Castle looked like in its prime.

A near-circular Norman ringwork sitting on a narrow Greensand Ridge, defined to the north and east by a deep ditch up to 6m and an earthen rampart 1.4–2.4m high; a 3m-wide causeway on the north‑east marks the original entrance. Within the ringwork the main stone great-house measures about 24m square with surviving undercroft to roughly 2.5m and stair locations at the NW and SE corners. An outer bank and ditch enclose a bailey to the north and east, and a small north‑west mound may mark a barbican site.

Its story

The story of Bletchingley Castle.

Late in the twelfth century a rectangular tower was built on an earlier earthwork enclosure at Bletchingley by Richard Fitz Gilbert, founder of the de Clare family. The Surrey branch of the de Clares lived in the village and sided with the barons in their disputes with the Crown in the thirteenth century.

The wars of 1263–64 brought the castle its only recorded military action. Simon de Montfort, accompanied by Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, marched past on his way to attack the king's army on the coast; Royalists who had seized the de Clares' Tonbridge Castle pounced on his retreating London force and are said to have taken and dismantled Bletchingley, an operation that might have proved disastrous for the barons had they been beaten at Lewes.

The castle land later separated from the manor, held in the sixteenth century by a Cholmeley, afterwards by the Drake family (who took the name Brockman), and sold in 1793 to John Kenrick. Nineteenth-century building for the Castle Hill house cut into the mound, but the ringwork and bailey survive well, with large areas within the ringwork apparently undisturbed.

Step inside

9 places to explore in 1170.

The record describes 9 distinct spots at Bletchingley Castle, including 2 interiors: great-house undercroft, first-floor living quarters / hall. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the Greensand Way (south)Northeast causeway entranceTop of the ringwork rampart (north)Exterior façade of the great-houseGreat-house undercroftFirst-floor living quarters / hallOuter bailey (north) where ancillary buildings stoodNorth-west mound (possible barbican)Top of the rectangular tower (lookout)

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Whose castle

Clans who held Bletchingley Castle.

The families that held Bletchingley Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • de Clare

    Built c.1170 by Richard Fitz Gilbert, founder of the de Clare family; taken and dismantled by Royalist forces in 1264.

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Bletchingley Castle.

Chartwell, EnglandMuseumChartwell13 km awayNonsuch Palace, EnglandPalaceNonsuch Palace16 km awaySelhurst Park, EnglandStadiumSelhurst Park18 km away

Questions about Bletchingley Castle

What is the history of Bletchingley Castle?

Bletchingley Castle has a history beginning in the late 12th century, when Richard Fitz Gilbert built a rectangular tower on an earlier earthwork enclosure. The Surrey de Clares later sided with the barons during disputes with the Crown. Royalist forces took and dismantled the castle in 1264, after which it gradually became a ruin; 19th-century building for Castle Hill house later cut into the mound.

What is inside Bletchingley Castle?

Inside Bletchingley Castle, the main surviving space is the great-house undercroft, which survives to roughly 2.5m beneath rubble from the collapsed building. The great-house measured about 24m square and had first-floor living quarters or a hall, reached by stairs at its north-west and south-east corners. The north-eastern half remains uninvestigated.

Why was Bletchingley Castle built, and what was it used for?

Bletchingley Castle was built as a defended Norman enclosure with a rectangular tower and later a substantial great-house. Its ringwork, deep ditch, rampart and outer bailey provided military protection, while the great-house contained first-floor living quarters or a hall. Ancillary buildings in the bailey included stables and storage huts.

Where is Bletchingley Castle?

Bletchingley Castle is in Bletchingley, Surrey, beside the Greensand Way on the Greensand Ridge. The castle lies in the village, with the Greensand Way directly to its south. The ridge runs from mid-Kent to south-west Surrey.

When was Bletchingley Castle built?

Bletchingley Castle was built in the late 12th century, around 1170. The first-raised year is not recorded, while the surviving remains point to more than one phase, including mid-12th-century masonry work and the later rectangular tower. The tower stood from around 1170 to 1264.

Was Bletchingley Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Bletchingley Castle was attacked in the wars of 1263–64 by Royalist forces after they had seized Tonbridge Castle. They took and dismantled Bletchingley Castle in 1264, and the rectangular tower was destroyed. This was the castle’s only recorded military action.

Which family or clan held Bletchingley Castle?

Bletchingley Castle was held by the de Clare family. Richard Fitz Gilbert, founder of the de Clare family, built the rectangular tower around 1170, and Royalist forces took and dismantled it in 1264 during the barons’ wars with the Crown.

What did Bletchingley Castle look like in its prime?

Bletchingley Castle was a near-circular Norman ringwork on the narrow Greensand Ridge, with an earthen rampart and a deep ditch reaching up to 6m. A 3m-wide north-east causeway marked the original entrance. Inside stood a roughly 24m-square stone great-house, while an outer bank and ditch enclosed the bailey; a small north-west mound may have been a barbican.

Is Bletchingley Castle still standing or is it a ruin?

Bletchingley Castle is an overgrown ruin, but its ringwork and bailey survive well. The site preserves earthwork banks and ditches, foundations and partial masonry from the great-house, and the footprint of a rectangular tower demolished in the 1260s. Later 19th-century buildings, including Castle Hill house, were set into or cut into the mound.

Who built Bletchingley Castle?

Bletchingley Castle was built by Richard Fitz Gilbert, founder of the de Clare family, around 1170. The supplied material does not identify a separate architect or designer. The earlier earthwork enclosure was incorporated into the later castle site.

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