60-578: Colchester Castle is a Norman castle in Colchester , Essex , England , dating from the second half of the eleventh century . The keep of the castle is mostly intact and is the largest example of its kind anywhere in Europe, due to its being built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, Colchester . The castle endured a three-month siege in 1216, but had fallen into disrepair by
120-460: A double-height great hall and chapel. This view was widely accepted throughout most of the 20th century. More recently, researchers have supported a three-storey model and some of the latest work suggests that there may have only ever been two storeys. This is based on pre-demolition depictions of the castle, which despite errors and inconsistencies, all show the squat profile evident today rather than an immensely tall three- or four-storey tower, also
180-494: A further five, work was beginning on some of the earliest of the great stone castles . For example, Hugh de Lacy built a Motte-and-bailey castle on the site of the present day Trim Castle , County Meath, which was attacked and burned in 1173 by the Irish king Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair . De Lacy, however, then constructed a stone castle in its place, which enclosed over three acres within its walls, and this could not be burned down by
240-579: A half times the size of the ground plan of the White Tower, Colchester's keep of 152 by 112 feet (46 m × 34 m) has the largest area of any medieval tower built in Britain or in Europe. The enormous size of the keep was dictated by the decision to use the masonry base or podium of the Temple of Claudius , built between AD 49 and 60, which was the largest Roman temple in Britain. The site
300-512: A heroic past. Siting the castle so close to the centre of the town makes Colchester the exception to the rule that Norman castles were built as a part of the town's external defences, with access to open countryside. The initial preparation of the site involved the demolition of surviving superstructure of the Roman temple, resulting in a layer of mortar rubble at the Norman ground level. The walls of
360-519: A large donation from Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray , a wealthy industrialist who had been the town's Member of Parliament. The wrought iron gates at the entrance to the park on Cowdray Crescent were created in Cheltenham by H.H. Martyn & Co. . The Park is split into the Upper and Lower Castle Parks. A museum of artefacts owned by the borough had been on display at the castle since 1860, and
420-411: A second dividing wall was added to the larger eastern section at a later date. Initially, the keep was only built to the height of the first floor; remnants of the crenellations which surmounted this first phase can still be seen in the exterior walls. It seems likely that either a financial or military crisis dictated that the partly completed keep had to be made defensible. A Danish raid in support of
480-742: A sequence of styles has been attributed to Thomas Rickman in his 1817 work An Attempt to Discriminate the Styles of English Architecture from the Conquest to the Reformation . In this work he used the labels "Norman, Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular". The more inclusive term romanesque was used of the Romance languages in English by 1715, and was applied to architecture of the eleventh and twelfth centuries from 1819. Although Edward
540-406: A style must be assessed as an integral whole rather than an aggregate of features, and while some include these developments within the Norman or Romanesque styles, others describe them as transitional or "Norman–Gothic Transitional". A few websites use the term "Norman Gothic", but it is unclear whether they refer to the transitional style or to the Norman style as a whole. Neo-Norman architecture
600-444: A succession of receding semicircular arches, often decorated with mouldings, typically of chevron or zig-zag design; sometimes there is a tympanum at the back of the head of the arch, which may feature sculpture representing a Biblical scene. Norman windows are mostly small and narrow, generally of a single round-headed light; but sometimes, especially in a bell tower , divided by a shaft into two lights. Viking invaders arrived at
660-493: Is a scheduled monument and a Grade I listed building . The attribution of the castle as a royal foundation is based on a charter of Henry I dated 1101, granting the town and castle of Colchester to Eudo Dapifer "as my father had them and my brother and myself", Henry's father and brother being William I , "William the Conqueror", and William II , "William Rufus". The somewhat unreliable Colchester Chronicle , written in
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#1732779713236720-523: Is a defining point of Norman architecture. Grand archways are designed to evoke feelings of awe and are very commonly seen as the entrance to large religious buildings such as cathedrals. Norman arches are semicircular in form. Early examples have plain, square edges; later ones are often enriched with the zig-zag and roll mouldings. The arches are supported on massive columns , generally plain and cylindrical , sometimes with spiral decoration; occasionally, square-section piers are found. Main doorways have
780-553: Is a type of Romanesque Revival architecture based on Norman Romanesque architecture. There is sometimes confusion, especially in North America, between this style and revivalist versions of vernacular or later architecture of Normandy , such as the " Norman farmhouse style " popular for larger houses. Romanesque Revival versions focus on the arch and capitals, and decorated doorways. There are two examples in Manchester:
840-481: Is on high ground at the western end of the walled town and at the time of the Norman Conquest , a Saxon chapel and other buildings which may have constituted a royal vill lay close by the ruins of the temple. The obvious motive for reusing this site was the ready made foundations and the availability of Roman building materials in an area without any naturally occurring stone. Another factor may have been that
900-489: Is the semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir or sanctuary , or sometimes at the end of an aisle. Smaller apses are sometimes built in other parts of the church, especially for reliquaries or shrines of saints. The domed apse became a standard part of the church plan in the early Christian era. In the Eastern Orthodox Church tradition, the south apse is known as the diaconicon and
960-463: The opus gallicum technique to Italy. Their clever use of the local stone artisans, together with the vast riches amassed from their enslaved population, made such tremendous feats possible, some as majestic as those of the ancient Roman structures they tried to emulate. Besides the encastellation of the countryside, the Normans erected several religious buildings which still survive. They edified
1020-594: The Church of Saint-Étienne at Caen, in 1067. This would eventually form a model for the larger English cathedrals some 20 years later, after they had invaded and conquered England. In England, Norman nobles and bishops had influence before the Norman Conquest of 1066, and Norman influences affected late Anglo-Saxon architecture . Edward the Confessor was brought up in Normandy and in 1042 brought masons to work on
1080-557: The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 or the threatened invasion by Canute IV in 1085 have both have been suggested as possible causes. Another theory is that only a single-story structure was originally intended. The keep today has only two storeys; the original height is unknown because of demolition work carried out in the late 17th century. In 1882, J. Horace Round proposed that, like the White Tower, Colchester would have had four storeys, with
1140-696: The Second English Civil War , the Royalist leaders Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle were executed just to the rear of the castle. Local legend has it that grass will not grow on the spot on which they fell. A small obelisk now marks the point. In 1656 the Quaker James Parnell was martyred there. In 1705 Wheely sold the castle to Sir Isaac Rebow , who left it to his grandson Charles Chamberlain Rebow in 1726. In 1727
1200-534: The cathedral at Messina consecrated in 1197. However, here the high Gothic campanile is of a later date and should not be confused with the early Gothic built during the Norman period; which featured pointed arches and windows rather than the flying buttresses and pinnacles later to manifest themselves in the Gothic era. After its Norman conquest in 1091, Malta saw the construction of several Norman pieces of architecture. Many have been demolished and rebuilt over
1260-402: The 19th century. Archaeological evidence has found that these embankments were thrown up over the remains of the Roman wall of the temple precinct and on the northern side were probably constructed at the same time as the first phase of the keep. The rampart to the north-east was 28.5 metres (94 ft) wide by 4 metres (13 ft) high. The southern embankment seems to have been completed during
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#17327797132361320-768: The Confessor built the original Westminster Abbey in Romanesque style (now all replaced by later rebuildings), its construction predates the Norman Conquest: it is still believed to have been the earliest major Romanesque building in England. No other significant remaining Romanesque architecture in Britain can clearly be shown to predate the Norman Conquest. However, historians believe that many surviving "Norman" elements in buildings–nearly all churches–may well in fact be Anglo-Saxon elements. The Norman arch
1380-611: The French garrison of 116 men were able to negotiate a safe passage to London. although that didn't prevent them from being arrested there. Following the capture of Colchester, Harengood was reinstated as constable and made sheriff, but in 1217, the castle was handed-over to the French and the barons as part of a truce agreement. However, it was recovered by the boy king Henry III in the Treaty of Lambeth in September 1217 which finally ended
1440-957: The Irish. The years between 1177 and 1310 saw the construction of some of the greatest of the Norman castles in Ireland. The Normans settled mostly in an area in the east of Ireland, later known as the Pale , and among other buildings they constructed were Swords Castle in Fingal (North County Dublin), Dublin Castle and Carrickfergus Castle in County Antrim. The Normans began constructing castles, their trademark architectural piece, in Italy from an early date. William Iron Arm built one at an unidentified location (Stridula) in Calabria in 1045. After
1500-643: The Mezzogiorno ;: Sicily 's Norman period lasted from c. 1061 until about 1200. The architecture was decorated in gilded mosaics such as that at the cathedral at Monreale . The Palatine Chapel in Palermo built in 1130 is perhaps the strongest example of this. The interior of the dome , (itself a Byzantine feature), is decorated in a mosaic depicting Christ Pantocrator accompanied by his angels . During Sicily's later Norman era early Gothic influences can be detected such as those in
1560-516: The Normans like to see themselves as imperial successors to the Romans, William being frequently compared by his biographer, William of Poitiers , to Julius Caesar and his barons to the Roman Senate . The Colchester Chronicle described the temple site as a palace built by the mythical Roman-era King Coel ; either way, it was providing a provenance for the Norman occupiers as the inheritors of
1620-473: The Romanesque style of the Franks. By 950, they were building stone keeps . The Normans were among the most travelled peoples of Europe, exposing them to a wide variety of cultural influences which became incorporated in their art and architecture. They elaborated on the early Christian basilica plan. Their churches were originally longitudinal with side aisles and an apse. They then began to add towers , as at
1680-597: The bailey, and King's Meadow north of the river Colne remained in the Holmes family until after 1659. In 1629 Charles I alienated the reversion of the castle to James Hay, Earl of Carlisle , which passed in 1636 to Archibald Hay. In 1649 Hay sold his interest to Sir John Lenthall , while in 1650 a Parliament Survey condemned the building and valued the stone at five pounds. In 1656 Lenthall sold his interest to Sir James Norfolk or Northfolk, who finally bought out Stanhope's interest in 1662. In 1683 an ironmonger, John Wheely,
1740-479: The building. Though Charles Gray Round died before the area was sold to the corporation of Colchester, his will ensured that it was held in trust with that eventual purpose. Norman architecture The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular
1800-589: The castle in the care of the sheriff and joined the other rebel barons at Bury St Edmunds . Meanwhile, John sent a replacement constable to Colchester, Stephen Harengood, who was probably a Flemish mercenary, with orders to improve the castle's defences. The barons later marched on London, forcing John to accept the Magna Carta at Runnymede in June 1215, which included a provision that Colchester be returned to Lanvalai. Within months, John had refused to be bound by
1860-474: The castle was bought by Mary Webster for her daughter Sarah, who was married to Charles Gray , the Member of Parliament for Colchester. To begin with, Gray leased the keep to a local grain merchant and the east side was leased to the county as a gaol . In the late 1740s Gray restored parts of the building, in particular the south front. He created a private park around the ruin and his summer house (perched on
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1920-493: The concentrated spaces of capitals and round doorways as well as the tympanum under an arch. The "Norman arch" is the rounded, often with mouldings carved or incised onto it for decoration. chevron patterns , frequently termed "zig-zag mouldings ", were a frequent signature of the Normans. The cruciform churches often had deep chancels and a square crossing tower which has remained a feature of English ecclesiastical architecture . Hundreds of parish churches were built and
1980-462: The court of King Macbeth around 1050. His successor Máel Coluim III overthrew him with English and Norman assistance, and his queen, Margaret , encouraged the church. The Benedictine order founded a monastery at Dunfermline . Her sixth and youngest son, who became King David , built St. Margaret's Chapel at the start of the 12th century. The Normans first landed in Ireland in 1169. Within five years earthwork castles were springing up, and in
2040-547: The death of Robert Guiscard in 1085, the Mezzogiorno (peninsular southern Italy) experienced a series of civil wars and fell under the control of increasingly weaker princes. Revolts characterised the region until well into the twelfth century and minor lords sought to resist ducal or royal power from within their own castles. In the Molise , the Normans embarked on their most extensive castle-building programme and introduced
2100-502: The first Romanesque building in England, Westminster Abbey . In 1051 he brought in Norman knights who built "motte" castles as a defence against the Welsh. Following the invasion, Normans rapidly constructed motte-and-bailey castles along with churches, abbeys , and more elaborate fortifications such as Norman stone keeps . The buildings show massive proportions in simple geometries using small bands of sculpture. Paying attention to
2160-551: The former Stock Exchange building and a synagogue in Fallowfield . Apse In architecture , an apse ( pl. : apses ; from Latin absis , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek ἀψίς , apsis , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis ; pl. : apsides ) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome , also known as an exedra . In Byzantine , Romanesque , and Gothic Christian church (including cathedral and abbey ) architecture ,
2220-481: The great English cathedrals were founded from 1083. After a fire damaged Canterbury Cathedral in 1174 Norman masons introduced the new Gothic architecture . Around 1191 Wells Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral brought in the English Gothic style, and Norman became increasingly a modest style of provincial building. Bibliography Scotland also came under early Norman influence with Norman nobles at
2280-459: The keep sit on narrow foundation trenches filled with rubble and mortar, and directly abut the edge of the Roman podium, except in the south where they are set back to avoid the original temple steps and to facilitate the digging of a well. The walls are made of coursed rubble, including septaria and Roman brick robbed from nearby ruins. Ashlar dressings are of Barnack and other stone, as well as Roman tile and brick. A large apse projects from
2340-588: The late 13th century, credits Eudo with the construction of the castle and gives a commencement date of 1076. The design of the castle has been associated with Gundulf of Rochester purely on the basis of the similarities between Colchester and the White Tower at the Tower of London ; however, both keeps also resemble the much earlier example at Château d'Ivry-la-Bataille in Upper Normandy . At one and
2400-566: The mouth of the river Seine in Normandy in 911, at a time when Franks were fighting on horseback and Frankish lords were building castles. Over the next century the population of the territory ceded to the Vikings (now called Normans ) adopted these customs as well as Christianity and the langue d'oïl . Norman barons built timber castles on earthen mounds, beginning the development of motte-and-bailey castles , and great stone churches in
2460-490: The north apse as the prothesis . Various ecclesiastical features of which the apse may form part are drawn together here. The chancel (or sanctuary), directly to the east beyond the choir , contains the high altar, where there is one (compare communion table ). This area is reserved for the clergy, and was therefore formerly called the "presbytery", from Greek presbuteros , " elder ", or in older and Catholic usage "priest". Semi-circular choirs, first developed in
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2520-506: The old Norman castle earthworks, in the shape of a Roman temple) can still be seen. He also added a library with large windows and a cupola on the south-east tower, which was completed in 1760. On Gray's death in 1782, the castle passed to his step-grandson, James Round, who continued the restoration work. The part of the castle under the chapel remained in use as a gaol, which was enlarged in 1801. A long-serving gaoler called John Smith lived on site with his family. His daughter Mary Ann Smith
2580-460: The roofing over of the keep in the mid-1930s allowed for a considerable expansion. Between January 2013 and May 2014 the castle museum underwent extensive refurbishment costing £4.2 million. The programme of work improved and updated the displays with the latest research into the castle's history, and supported the repair of the roof. The later inheritance of the castle and its grounds is illustrated below. Only those greyed out did not at some time own
2640-445: The same time as the bailey walls, although there is no mention of it until the 1240s; it was approached by a bridge over the ditch. A palisade , presumably part of the nether bailey defences, blew down in 1218 and again in 1237, and further repairs to it were needed in 1275–76. Control of Colchester Castle reverted to the crown following the death of Eudo in 1120 and thereafter, the castle was governed by crown-appointed constables , or
2700-422: The second phase of keep construction around 1100. Inside the bailey, a late Anglo-Saxon chapel stood close to the southern edge of the keep and a domestic hall to the southeast of, and aligned with the chapel, were both retained during the first phase of keep construction. The chapel was rebuilt during the second phase and the hall had a large fireplace added at around the same time. A weak lower or "nether" bailey
2760-401: The seventeenth century when the curtain walls and some of the keep's upper parts were demolished; its original height is debated. The remaining structure was used as a prison and was partially restored as a large garden pavilion , but was purchased by Colchester Borough Council in 1922. The castle has since 1860 housed Colchester Museum, which has an important collection of Roman exhibits. It
2820-477: The short time frame in which demolition can have occurred, and finally analysis of various surviving internal details which suggest that, unlike the White Tower, the great hall was on the first floor. Further uncertainty surrounds the position of the original entrance; the current main doorway in the southwestern tower dates from the second phase of construction which saw the addition of the first floor and staircases. Architectural features suggest that this second phase
2880-579: The shrine at Monte Sant'Angelo and built a mausoleum to the Hauteville family at Venosa . They also built many new Latin monasteries, including the famous foundation of Sant'Eufemia Lamezia . Other examples of great importance are the portal of the Shrine of Mary Queen of Anglona and the ambulatory and radiating chapels of the Aversa Cathedral . Here is a list of Norman architecture in
2940-461: The south-east corner, resembling St John's Chapel in the White Tower but there is no firm evidence that a similar chapel ever existed at Colchester. It has been speculated that an apse was added to the Temple of Claudius in the 4th century during a putative conversion to a Christian church and that the Normans followed this outline. The keep was divided internally by a wall running from north to south;
3000-601: The style. These Romanesque styles originated in Normandy and became widespread in northwestern Europe, particularly in England, which contributed considerable development and where the largest number of examples survived. At about the same time, a Norman dynasty that ruled in Sicily produced a distinctive variation–incorporating Byzantine and Saracen influences–also known as Norman architecture (or alternatively Sicilian Romanesque). The term Norman may have originated with eighteenth-century antiquarians , but its usage in
3060-423: The term is applied to a semi-circular or polygonal termination of the main building at the liturgical east end (where the altar is), regardless of the shape of the roof, which may be flat, sloping, domed, or hemispherical. Smaller apses are found elsewhere, especially in shrines . An apse is a semicircular recess, often covered with a hemispherical vault. Commonly, the apse of a church, cathedral or basilica
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#17327797132363120-419: The term is traditionally used for English Romanesque architecture . The Normans introduced large numbers of castles and fortifications including Norman keeps , and at the same time monasteries , abbeys , churches and cathedrals, in a style characterised by the usual Romanesque rounded arches (particularly over windows and doorways) and especially massive proportions compared to other regional variations of
3180-633: The terms of the charter and the First Barons' War broke out. John besieged Rochester Castle before sending an army towards Colchester, under the command of a French mercenary called Savary de Meuleon. In the meantime, the barons had appealed for help to King Louis VIII of France and accordingly, a French contingent had arrived to garrison Colchester Castle for the barons. The siege began in January 1216 and ended in March when King John himself arrived;
3240-513: The war, and William of Sainte-Mère-Église , the Bishop of London , was made constable. In 1607 custody of the castle was granted for life to Charles, Baron Stanhope of Harrington (1593–1675). In 1624 Stanhope granted the lease to Thomas Holmes, gentleman and maltster , the father of John Holmes , who emigrated to Plymouth Colony and became Messenger of the Court there. Custody of the castle,
3300-525: The years (especially after the 1693 Sicily earthquake which destroyed many old Norman buildings), however some fortresses and houses still exist in Mdina and Vittoriosa . As master masons developed the style and experimented with ways of overcoming the geometric difficulties of groin vaulted ceilings, they introduced features such as the pointed arch that were later characterised as being Gothic in style. Architectural historians and scholars consider that
3360-536: Was born there in 1777 and lived her whole life in the castle, becoming the librarian until her death in 1852. She is believed to have planted the sycamore tree which is still growing on top of the southwest tower, either to celebrate the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 or to mark her father's death in the same year. Between 1920 and 1922, the Castle and the associated parkland were bought by the Borough of Colchester using
3420-448: Was formed by two less substantial bank-and-ditch barriers which extended northwards as far as the town walls. This may be the "new bailey" mentioned in 1173, or perhaps the masonry walls of the main or "upper" bailey which were in place by 1182. No trace of the stone walls has been found, which suggests that were located at the top of the rampart. A twin-towered gatehouse gave access to the bailey in its southwest corner, probably built at
3480-568: Was in the care of the High Sheriff of Essex when no-one had that role. In 1190, the acquisition of 26 military tunics for the castle are evidence of a permanent garrison. Kings Henry I, Henry II and Henry III are all known to have visited the castle. In 1214, the hereditary constable was William de Lanvalai, who was one of the barons opposed to King John . In November of that year, John arrived at Colchester, probably in an unsuccessful attempt to win over Lanvalai, who shortly afterwards left
3540-477: Was licensed to pull it all down - presumably to use as building material in the town. After "great devastations" in which much of the upper structure was demolished using screws and gunpowder, he gave up when the operation became unprofitable. The castle has had various uses since it ceased to be a royal castle. It has been a county prison, where in 1645 the self-styled Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins interrogated and imprisoned suspected witches. In 1648, during
3600-418: Was undertaken after about 1100, probably by Eudo following the charter of 1101. In the mid-13th century, a masonry barbican was built adjacent to the south-west tower to protect the main doorway, replacing an earlier forebuilding. The defences of the bailey consisted principally of a large earthen rampart and ditch surrounding the keep, the northern section of which survives but was heavily landscaped in
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