England · Demolished
Gloucester Castle
Gloucester Castle was a Norman royal castle in Gloucester, originally a motte-and-bailey later rebuilt west of Barbican Hill to overlook the River Severn. It served as a royal residence in the medieval period and later as the county gaol before being demolished in 1787 and replaced by Gloucester Prison. Archaeological remains of its foundations have been uncovered in the 21st century.
Its prime
1250
Today
Demolished
As it stood in 1250
What Gloucester Castle looked like in its prime.
A riverside castle set directly above the River Severn, defined by a substantial rectangular stone keep rising above contiguous ranges and curtain walls that run to the water’s edge. An outer barbican and a bridge cross the river to an outer wall; a main gatehouse gives access from the town side. Rooflines are steeply pitched and the massing is compact, keep, attached ranges and enclosing bailey together forming a fortified river-front complex of stone.
Its story
The story of Gloucester Castle.
The FitzWalter Constables and the New Castle by the Severn, to 1155
Gloucester Castle began as a Norman motte-and-bailey, probably raised by Roger de Pitres, the first post-Conquest Sheriff of Gloucestershire, in the reign of William the Conqueror; sixteen houses were cleared to make way for it, and William II later enlarged the castle, demolishing eight more. Roger de Pitres was succeeded as Constable by his son Walter of Gloucester, Sheriff of Gloucestershire, who before 1113 built a new castle west of Barbican Hill, on a former garden of Gloucester Abbey, overlooking the River Severn. Walter's son Miles FitzWalter, 1st Earl of Hereford, succeeded him as Constable and became hereditary Constable of England; Miles's own eldest son, Roger FitzMiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford, held the constableship after him before the castle was retained by the Crown.
County Gaol, Royal Residence and the Barons' War, 1185–1265
Part of the castle was already in use as a gaol by 1185, and had certainly become the official county gaol by 1228. Eleanor of Brittany — niece of King John and, by primogeniture, a rival claimant to the throne — was held there as a state prisoner from 1222 to 1223 and again from 1237 to 1238; in 1222 the castle's other prisoners were moved elsewhere to accommodate her.
Henry III carried out further improvements and repairs, including a bridge across the Severn leading to a barbican in the outer wall, and often used the castle as a residence. It played an important part in the Barons' War, standing siege twice in 1264–1265.
Decline and Demolition, 15th Century–1791
The defences were kept in full repair until the mid-15th century, but it is likely that under Richard III the castle ceased to be maintained as a fortress, continuing in use only as the county gaol. Much of its stonework was carried off to build roads and other structures, and by the mid-17th century everything around the curtain wall had apparently gone, leaving only the keep — still used as the gaol — and the main gatehouse standing. The keep was eventually judged unsuitable for a gaol; its demolition began in 1787, and the new Gloucester Prison was finished in 1791, leaving no visible remains of the castle above ground.
Rediscovery Beneath the Prison Site, December 2015
In December 2015 archaeologists investigating the Gloucester Prison site ahead of a new development uncovered the castle's foundations. The rediscovery brought calls to open the site to the public, and the site's owners were considering how to include parts of the castle in their plans for its future.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1250.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Gloucester Castle, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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