England · Demolished
Reigate Castle
Reigate Castle was a medieval castle occupying a raised site above the town of Reigate in Surrey. The castle was occupied through the later Middle Ages but fell into disrepair after the 16th century and was demolished in 1648; no original above-ground buildings survive today. The site is now the public Castle Grounds, with an 18th‑century mock medieval gateway at the entrance and the Baron's Cave remaining beneath the site.
Its prime
1347
Today
Demolished
As it stood in 1347
What Reigate Castle looked like in its prime.
A medieval stone castle occupying a raised site above the town, approached from the main road; the complex is entered by a principal stone gateway at the front of the site and contains an inner courtyard surrounded by domestic ranges and enclosing defensive walls. The castle sits above a system of natural caves (Baron's Cave) that open beneath the buildings; in its prime the ensemble stands complete and occupied, directly overlooking the streets of Reigate below.
Its story
The story of Reigate Castle.
The de Warennes and the Town Below, 1088-c.1150
William the Conqueror granted the land around Reigate to one of his supporters, William de Warenne, who was created Earl of Surrey in 1088. It is believed that his son, William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey, ordered Reigate Castle built, although the family's southern base remained at Lewes in Sussex, and they held castles besides in Yorkshire and in Normandy.
Around 1150 the de Warennes ordered a town constructed below the castle, and that settlement forms the basis of modern Reigate. The origin of the name is uncertain: it appears to derive from Roe-deer Gate, the town standing near the entrance to the de Warenne deer park, though Rhie-gat, roughly the River's Course, has also been suggested.
The Barons' Cave and the French Capture of 1216
Local legend says that before the signing of Magna Carta the rebellious barons met in the extensive caves below the castle to hammer out the details of the document. In 1216 the castle was one of many in southern England captured by the French, Chichester Castle among them. Little more is known of Reigate, which has never been excavated on any great scale.
FitzAlans, Howards and the Demolition of 1648
In 1347 the castle became the property of the FitzAlan family, Earls of Arundel. From 1397 it was owned by a number of Lords of the Manor of Reigate, including the influential Howard family. It was occupied until the 16th century but fell into disrepair afterwards, and it was demolished in 1648, after occupation as a garrison during the Civil War by followers of a Royalist uprising.
The Mock Gateway, the Tunnel and the Castle Grounds
In 1777 a mock medieval gateway was built over the ruins of the original castle, its inscription set out in English on one side and in Latin on the other. None of the original castle buildings survived, with the exception of the Barons' Cave. In 1823 the Reigate Castle Tunnel was driven beneath the grounds; believed to be Europe's first road tunnel, it is pedestrianised.
The castle gate is the main feature of the municipal coat of arms of Reigate and Banstead, the borough that contains the site. The grounds remain public gardens and the site is a scheduled monument; tours of the Baron's and Tunnel Road caves take place on the second Saturday of every month between May and September inclusive.
Step inside
6 places to explore in 1347.
The record describes 6 distinct spots at Reigate Castle, including 1 interior: baron's cave (subterranean chamber beneath the castle). 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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Clans who held Reigate Castle.
The families that held Reigate Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Warenne
Granted the lands by William the Conqueror; the de Warenne Earls of Surrey are believed to have built the castle.
FitzAlan
The castle became the property of the FitzAlan Earls of Arundel in 1347.
Among the Lords of the Manor of Reigate who owned the castle from 1397.
Nearby
