Summary
A motte and bailey castle established in the C11 and re-developed in the in the first half of the C12 with a stone keep and defensive walls. Various phases of alteration in the C13 and C14; adapted during the Civil War; demolished in the mid-C17. Extensive damage to the area during the Second World War, and in the early 1970s it was laid out as a public park.
Reasons for Designation
The partial remains of Bristol Castle are scheduled for the following principal reasons:
Survival:
* the buried structures and deposits and surviving upstanding fabric contribute to our understanding of the sequence of developments and occupation of the castle, and its reuse in part as a Civil War fortification;
* it retains valuable information about medieval (and Civil War) fortifications, as well as the social and domestic aspects of medieval society.
Potential
* archaeological investigations have revealed the remains of significant buried deposits and have indicated that the monument retains great potential for the preservation of similar archaeological material.
Documentation:
* the history of the monument is well documented both historically and in the archaeological records which adds to its interest.
Historic interest:
* for its association with the English monarchy for over 600 years and its strategic role in the military campaigns in Wales. The monument will also contribute to our knowledge of the history of medieval and post-medieval Bristol, a major urban centre.
History
The Domesday Book records that Bristol, which was probably a burgh or fortified town (it did not become a city until 1542), had a mint, and by the mid-C12 was described as ‘almost the richest city of all in the country’ (Dennis, see Sources). The earliest record of Bristol Castle is from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 1088 when, during the rebellion that followed the death of William the Conqueror, it was held by Geoffrey, Bishop of Countances who had acquired significant land holdings in the South West after the Conquest. It was a motte and bailey castle, possibly preceded by a ringwork, and was established on high ground on or beyond the eastern end of the town; an area with evidence of late-Saxon occupation. In the first half of the C12 the castle was held by Robert Fitzroy, the first Earl of Gloucester. It underwent a significant phase of rebuilding, including the construction of a stone keep, and was described in 1138 as ‘rising on a vast mound, strengthened by wall and battlements, towers and divers [sic] engines’ (Fleming, 2004). Fitzroy was the illegitimate son of Henry I and half-brother to Empress Matilda and was loyal to his half-sister during ‘The Anarchy’ against King Stephen. After the Battle of Lincoln in 1141 Stephen was briefly imprisoned at Bristol Castle but was released some months later in exchange for Fitzroy who had been captured at the Battle of Winchester. Bristol Castle was an important Royal stronghold, and historic documents describe phases of refortification; repairs and improvements to existing structures; the addition of new buildings and also periods of neglect. It was strengthened during the C13, including the addition of a barbican around 1220, although only 13 years later repairs were necessary. In the C14 there were various programmes of repairs and maintenance, including restoration between 1375-1377, shortly followed by further repairs and refurbishment in advance of Richard II’s first visit in 1382. It was refurbished again in 1403 for a visit by Henry IV. An annexe or outwork, known as the King’s Orchard, lay beyond the castle's south-eastern defences, and was enclosed by an outer ditch and a wall with gateways. Following construction of the Great Gate in the southern defences in 1239 it appears to have served as the main approach to the castle from the south-east.
There are mid-C15 references to repairs to some of the buildings, gates and bridges, but by 1480 the castle was ruinous and described by the antiquarian William of Worcester (also Worcestre) as in ‘an extremely bad state of repair’. It retained some functions, as a mint between 1546 and 1549 and as a prison, but much of the castle was derelict. It was purchased by the corporation in 1630 and the following year an armoury was built in the castle. During the Civil War it was refortified as a Parliamentarian stronghold, though it later formed part of the city’s Royalist defences. In 1655 Parliament ordered its demolition. The site was then re-developed as a commercial district with streets and a dense concentration of shops, inns and dwellings; some incorporating medieval fabric and standing remains. King’s Orchard had been developed by the early C18, however some of the castle moat remained open as late as 1828 and is depicted on Ashmead’s map (Know Your Place, see Sources). The character of the site has changed considerably in the centuries since the castle’s demolition, developing into a principal shopping area. During the later C19 several large industrial complexes were also established in the northern part of the site. The area suffered severe damage during bombing raids in the Second World War, it was subsequently cleared, and Castle Park was laid out in the 1970s. The park was re-landscaped in the early 1990s.
Bristol Castle has been the subject of archaeological investigations since the Second World War; although discoveries are recorded from the late C19; including a series of excavations and watching briefs carried out by M W Ponsford between 1968 and 1970. The investigations have complemented the historic documentary record and contribute to our understanding of the castle and its development. A castle is included on Bristol's coat of arms which were officially granted in 1569, though the design, including the castle theme, was based on earlier seals.
More details on the history and evolution of the castle are documented in the Castle Park conservation management plan (Bristol City Council, 2008), in archaeological journals and reports, and in Ponsford’s unpublished thesis from 1979 (see Sources).
Details
This entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 12 September 2023 to remove references to former Grade II listing of some parts.
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: the monument includes the standing and buried remains of Bristol Castle situated on a low ridge of land between the Rivers Frome and Avon. It was established in the C11 as a motte and bailey castle that may have replaced an earlier ringwork and was re-developed in the first half of the C12 with the construction of a stone keep and new defensive walls. Various phases of modification, repair and refurbishment took place in the C13 and C14, and further was adapted during the Civil War. In 1656 the castle was demolished, and the site re-developed from the mid-C17 onwards. There was extensive bomb damage during the Second World War and the site was cleared in the following decades. A public park established in the early 1970s.
The castle site occupies approximately the eastern half of Castle Park, to the east of the ruins of St Peter’s Church (listed at Grade II*).
DESCRIPTION: the defences of Bristol Castle changed over time but consisted principally of a waterfilled moat fed from the Rivers Frome and Avon and recut several times; strengthened by a C12 curtain wall, possibly replacing an earlier wall, and a rampart. The moat was found to have been up to 25m wide in places and 10m deep approximately. It has been mostly infilled; the north and east sides are overlain by Newgate/Broad Weir and Lower Castle Street respectively; traces of the west moat may survive as buried features within Castle Park. To the south, the castle boundary consisted largely of the River Avon, but a short section of the south-east moat, known as Back Ditch, remains open as far as Queen Street and takes the form of a subterranean, culverted channel to the east of this road.
The C11 motte and bailey is not visible above ground, but excavation has revealed that the motte was roughly circular, approximately 63m in diameter, and surrounded by a flat-bottomed, rock-cut ditch measuring some 12m wide and 6m deep. The investigations also revealed that the motte was levelled and its ditch deliberately backfilled to facilitate the construction of the new stone keep in the C12. The bailey was laid out to the east, and a section of the ditch to the north-west of the motte was found to have been cut back and stepped. It has been suggested that this modification to the ditch was done to accommodate either the foundations of the keep (Ponsford, 1970) or a bridge across the ditch in this location (Good, 1996). The keep itself was partially excavated by Gettins in 1948, by Ponsford in 1970 and by the City Museum in 1989. It was found to be a large, roughly-square structure, constructed of Pennant sandstone rubble and faced with ashlar, and had been built partially into the motte ditch. The plan could not be firmly established, due to extensive robbing of material and later disturbance, but William of Worcester describes four corner towers and also mentions a ‘myghtyest toure’, although it is unclear if the latter refers to a fifth tower. Evidence for a possible forebuilding on the east side of the keep (Ponsford, 1970) and an adjoining structure to the west (Good, 1996) was also uncovered, together with a well, possible latrine or rubbish pit and garderobe chute. To the north of the keep was a section of road comprising Pennant stone and cobbles. Those parts of the keep that were uncovered during the excavations remained exposed for many years and were only backfilled in the early C21; however, some of the upstanding fabric is preserved as ruins. It is acknowledged that the ground level to the south and west of the excavated areas have been reduced since the C17, but further buried features and deposits relating to the keep may survive, particularly within other sections of the motte ditch.
The castle rampart which formed part of the castle’s defences appears to be a multi-phase feature, possibly with late-C11 origins, which was heightened on several occasions. It was constructed of earth and sandstone, stone revetted in places, and varying in width from 15m up to 26m. Excavation has demonstrated that, although levelled and affected by later activities, it survives as a buried feature in some parts of the site. The C12 curtain wall, which appears to have replaced an earlier wall and underwent later rebuilding and repairs, has been the subject of excavations at various points along its circuit. It is built of Pennant sandstone with a rubble core and was strengthened with towers and/or bastions that were added at different times. A D-shaped tower that projected from a curving section of curtain wall was discovered in the mid-C20 at the north-east corner of the site. It had been partly rebuilt in the late-medieval or post-medieval period and was demolished when the castle was slighted. It is no longer visible above ground, but the approximate position of the tower and the adjacent sections of curtain wall are marked by late-C20 walls. Two lengths of curtain wall on the west and south sides of the castle have been consolidated and preserved as ruins, whilst other sections survive as buried features. The exposed 14m long section of the west curtain wall (upper part only) and includes a small stone relieving arch and has undergone later repairs of brick and tile. Immediately to its east is a rock-cut tunnel that was uncovered during excavations in 1970. It has been interpreted as a postern or sally-port (a small, secondary entrance in the defences) which descended beneath the west curtain wall and continued to the west moat ditch where it terminated. The tunnel is partially infilled, capped with concrete and earth and a modern retaining wall built on its east side; there is a metal gate at the entrance. The standing remains of a section of the south curtain wall contains two embrasures with dressed stone jambs, fragmentary evidence of a third and the remains of a garderobe chute. The 1:500 Ordnance Survey Town Plan of 1885 depicts a ‘Castle Wall (Site of)’ south of the line of south curtain wall. It may indicate a possible outer wall running west-east along the north side of Back Ditch, although it could represent an incorrect depiction of the south curtain wall itself since only one wall is marked on the map. No physical evidence of a second wall or other outworks have been identified to-date. Archaeological evaluations undertaken in 2021 in the area occupied by the Energy Centre did not uncover any medieval archaeological deposits and it is not, therefore, included in the scheduling. Part of the castle’s eastern defences, including the remains of a section of curtain wall and the east gate, were uncovered in 1968. The gate had been built on a levelled section of the castle rampart and had later flanking square towers. It is likely that the east gate was one of the original entrances into the castle and had gone out of use by the late C12, based on evidence that the gateway had been blocked by then.
Documentary sources refer to three other entrances. Newgate, situated to the north-west of the keep and just outside the castle complex, appears to date from the early C14 and functioned as both castle gate and town gate. The western defences were strengthened by a barbican gate built in the early C13 beyond the west curtain wall and possibly at right angles to the moat. It has not been identified from excavations, though its probable location is reflected as a projection in the former parish boundary between the castle precincts and St Peter’s Church which is depicted on historic maps. Great or Water Gate was situated close to the confluence of the Rivers Frome and Avon, on the south side of the castle. It is mentioned in 1402-1403 when the drawbridge outside the gate was reconstructed. It is understood to have comprised at least four towers. Excavations in the mid-C20 revealed evidence for the fragmentary remains of sections of curved walling on either side of Queen Street which have been interpreted as the possible remains of two of the gateway's towers. The land to the east of Queen Street has been redeveloped and is not included in the scheduling.
The former bailey appears to have been modified during the early-C12 re-fortification and was subdivided into wards by stone walls. Evidence of medieval domestic buildings within the castle complex has been revealed mostly through excavation, and the majority appear to have been constructed from timber with stone foundations. On the north side of the keep are the buried remains of a building that has been interpreted as stables due to the amount of organic material, such as sedge litter, horsehair, fragments of leather and dung deposits, as well as a horse tooth and half a horseshoe, found within its footprint. The remains of C13 structures, interpreted as the Constable’s lodgings, have been identified to the south-west of the keep. A small medieval building, referred to as the vaulted chambers (now a café, 2022), survives in the eastern part of the site and is interpreted as the former entrance to the King’s or Great Hall. The hall was built by the C13, probably with earlier origins, but was ruined by 1480. It was described by William of Worcester as ‘formerly splendid in length, width and height', and its 'splendid' and 'very beautiful' chapel and chambers were 'roofless, bare and stripped of floors and ceilings.' An excavation in 1949 did not find evidence for the hall complex, although the remains of a building identified further to the north in 1968 may have formed part of it, and further buried archaeological deposits relating to the structures are likely to survive. The vaulted chambers (separately listed at Grade II) has two principal phases of construction, dating to the mid-C13 and early C14, and was subject to later alterations and rebuilding. It was retained after the demolition of the castle and incorporated into a building that is not extant; it was heavily restored in the late 1970s and early C21. There are extensions on the north and east sides. It is single-storey, over an infilled undercroft, and built of Pennant limestone, mostly rendered, with a later hipped roof covered with pantiles. The front (west) elevation has two pointed-arched openings of C20 date and there are traces of a possible window (hidden by external render) and a doorway, both of late-medieval date, in the south and east walls respectively. The interior comprises two rooms; the southern one is the earlier. Both have much-repaired, quadripartite rib vaulted ceilings of two bays and to different designs, with blocked openings in the east wall.
To the south of Back Ditch is an area that was known previously as the King’s Orchard. Excavations in 2016 in advance of the redevelopment of this area identified very few archaeological features. A rock-cut feature, probably a ditch, has been interpreted as an earlier defensive feature that pre-dates the castle, but no evidence was found of the medieval embattled boundary wall or gateways mentioned in historic sources.
Artefacts associated with the occupation of the castle until its demolition in the C17 include pottery, both domestic and imported wares; disarticulated human bone; small finds of copper alloy, bronze, bone and ivory; iron objects; animal bone, including the skeleton of a juvenile macaque from the C17 fill of the sally-port; and building material such as dressed stone, stone roof slabs and ridge tiles. Evidence for earlier occupation at the site includes a length of boundary ditch, a possible hearth and iron slag deposits, and organic remains, attributed to the late-Saxon period.
The substantial earthwork mounds in the north-eastern part of the site are formed of mid-C20 demolition rubble and the result of ground clearance when Castle Park was laid out.
EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: the area of protection is based on available evidence about the current known extent of medieval standing remains and buried archaeology within Castle Park as identified from archaeological investigations. The monument boundary has been drawn, therefore, to include the nationally-important buried remains understood to survive within the park. The northern boundary to the monument is formed, therefore, by the south side of the Newgate/Broadweir thoroughfare, while the eastern boundary is defined by the west side of Lower Castle Street. To the south, Back Ditch, the River Avon and the Floating Harbour define the south-eastern and southern boundaries except for the area occupied by the Energy Centre (constructed in 2021) where no buried archaeological remains of medieval date have been identified. Here, the monument boundary follows the metal fencing that encloses the Energy Centre site, and which defines also the extent of Castle Park in this area. In the western part of the monument, the boundary has been drawn to align with the buried remains of the moat ditch and the site of the barbican where we understand these features to be located, together with a 5m margin for the support and protection of the monument.
EXCLUSIONS: all mid- to late-C20 boundary and retaining walls enclosing and sub-dividing parts of Castle Park; the Grade-II listed vaulted chambers; the crenellated bridge abutment and former public toilets (currently the park’s depot) adjacent to Newgate; the millstone; the stones within the Normandy Peace Garden; the late-C20 public art installations called Drinking Fountain, Beside the Still Waters and Only the Dead Fish Go With the Flow; the modern gate and retaining wall to the medieval sally port; the bandstand, information boards, all hard landscaping including the surfaces of paved areas, paths and steps, wooden fencing, metal handrails, timber gates, lamp posts, pole-mounted security cameras and waste bins within Castle Park; the metal fencing around the Energy Centre, the wooden footbridge adjacent to the south curtain wall and the modern bridge over Back Ditch; the paved landscaping, water feature and stone sculpture to the east of St Peter’s Church and the largely C18 (with later repairs and heightening) harbourside wall are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath these features is included.
