Andrew Armstrong (Gloucester Castle)

Andrew gave us some historical background about Gloucester Castle, the remains of which have been known to exist beneath the prison and have been discovered beneath the basketball court of Gloucester prison.

The first Gloucester Castle was built in Norman times probably only a few years after the Norman invasion of 1066. It began as a simple mote and Bailey castle within the northwest corner of the Roman city wall. A ditch protected the two remaining sides.

Around 1112 a new castle was built to the west of Barbican hill, overlooking the Severn. A barbican is a fortified outpost or gateway, such as an outer defence to a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge, used for defensive purposes. The castle is thought to have resembled the Tower of London.

The hereditary sheriffs of Gloucester originally controlled the castle, but it was taken over by the Crown in 1155. It was further extended and improved by Henry I, Henry II and henry III. Henry III often used it as a residence and it played an important role in the Barons war of 1264-5, when it was besieged twice.

It is believed that the castle ceased to be maintained as a fortress during the reign of Richard III but continued to be used as the county gaol. Eventually the castle keep was demolished in 1787 and the new gaol was finished in 1791.

There is clearly a tension that exists between preserving the past and developing the future. On the one hand developers do not want to be held up by painstaking and time consuming archaeological excavations. On the other, archaeologists want to investigate all historical remains to learn more about the past and preserve them for future generations. The common modern compromise with most historic sites is that only limited investigation is undertaken and any remains that are believed to exist are protected from further destruction by limiting the way in which any new development is sited and constructed. In the case of Gloucester castle, the site was owned by the County Council and prior to selling the prison and they have taken the opportunity to carry out a more extensive excavation.

It was apparent that Andrew would dearly like the excavation to remain visible but it is likely it will be covered over and be protected from further destruction by the development of the site.

Jeff Roberts