Castle within a Roman fortress: 13th century curtain wall and south tower, lit only by arrow slits, of the moated inner bailey at first founded as Norman earthworks inside the high walls of the Late Roman coastal fort of Anderitum, now part of the Pevensey Castle site maintained by English Heritage at Pevensey, East Sussex, England, UK.
Pevensey, East Sussex, England, UK: fortress within Roman defences … mid-13th century curtain wall and D-shaped south tower, lit only by arrow slits, of Pevensey Castle, founded by Norman builders above a spring-fed moat within the massive walls of the Roman fort of Anderitum, built from 290 to 340 AD to defend Britannia’s southern coast against barbarian attacks. The fort, abandoned when the Romans left Britain, had fallen into ruin by the time William the Conqueror’s army landed at Pevensey Bay in 1066. The Norman invaders are said to have camped within the crumbling Roman walls before marching to defeat the English army at the Battle of Hastings. The Normans quickly saw Pevensey’s potential as a strategic stronghold surrounded by the sea and marshland on three sides. William’s half-brother, Robert de Mortain, repaired the Roman walls, dug a moat inside them and built initial fortifications in wood and earth. In time, the earthworks were replaced by a stone keep and curtain walls, a western gatehouse and towers on the north, south and east sides. The south and east towers were probably never completed, although an estimate of 1317 described them as thatched, without lead roofs or castellations. Like the others, the south tower had three floors accessed by separate entrances. Pevensey Castle was besieged several times in Norman and later times and although its garrison was twice starved into surrender, it was never successfully stormed. It was abandoned in the 1500s and remained an overgrown ruin before becoming public property in 1925. During World War Two, it was garrisoned by British, Canadian and American troops, with machine-gun posts built into both the Roman and medieval walls. The castle is now in the care of English Heritage.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Pevensey Castle, Pevensey, East Sussex, England, UK.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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