Castle Combe, Wiltshire

A golf course lies in the outer bailey at castle Combe. The motte and bailey castle at Castle Combe is one of the largest and least understood monuments in Wiltshire. It consists of a motte with the remains of a stone keep and multiple baileys. There are conflicting views about its origins, which may have been as an Iron Age promontory fort. There have also been claims that it was once an Anglo-Saxon stronghold, though evidence in support of this idea has not been discovered. The remains of the keep From the remains surviving today we can see that it was clearly a large and important medieval stronghold and settlement, yet there is virtually no record of it in historical sources and the reasons for its failure remain a mystery. In February 2009 an analytical earthwork survey was carried out by EH to try and find the answers some of these unresolved questions about the site. For further information on this project contact nicky.smith@english-heritage.org.uk.