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Tonbridge Castle Gatehouse

Tonbridge Castle is a Motte and Bailey castle. The original castle was built in 1070, soon after the Battle of Hastings, by Richard Fitzgilbert (AKA Richard De Clare). It was originally a wooden structure. The stone fortifications were added in the early 13th century, with an impressive gatehouse being added between 1220 & 1260. The castle is surrounded on three sides by a deep moat & on the fourth by the River Medway. In 1314, the castle was passed on to the Duke of Buckingham. The third Duke was beheaded for treason by Henry VIII and the Castle was taken by the Crown. Most of the castle is in ruins today except the fully intact gatehouse. Its position on a ridge of sandstone by the River Medway allows the castle to dominate the town and protect the ford and later bridging point on the Medway.
The castle is Grade I listed. Link

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