Littledean Camp facts for kids

Littledean Camp was once a castle that stood high above the village of Littledean in Gloucestershire, England. It was special because of its unusual early Norman design.

Littledean Camp: A Norman Castle

For a long time, people thought Littledean Camp was a Roman fort. This is why old maps called it "Littledean Roman Camp." But in the 1900s, experts who study old sites (called archaeologists) found out the truth. They discovered the castle was actually built in the 11th century. This was after the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

Why Was It Built?

The castle was built on a high hill. From here, it could watch over the Severn valley and the town of Littledean. Its main job was to protect the local villages. It also likely worked with other nearby castles, like those at Glasshouse Woods and Howle Hill Camp. Together, they formed a shield to protect the city of Gloucester from attacks coming from Wales.

What Can You See Today?

Today, you can only see the remains of the castle's outer walls. These are now just mounds of earth, called earthworks. Trees have grown all over the castle's old site. Because it's a protected historical place (a scheduled monument), it's not looked after or changed. Even so, the trees on the earthworks stand out from the fields around them. This means you can see the hilltop site, which is about 600 meters high, from many miles away.

How Was the Castle Designed?

Littledean Castle was round and quite small, about 60 feet across. It had two main areas: an inner and an outer bailey. The outer bailey was protected by a very tall wall, called a vallum. Parts of this outer wall's earthworks are still 12 feet high today. When it was first built, it would have been even taller, about 15 feet high.

What made this castle unique for its time was its "motte." A motte is a large mound of earth. Usually, the motte with a tower (called a keep) would be in the middle of a castle. But at Littledean, the motte was built right into the outer wall. This special design probably meant it was used as both a lookout tower and a strong main tower (keep). The only way to get into the castle was from the south side.

Why Was It Abandoned?

Littledean Castle was not used for very long. By the middle of the 12th century, during a time of civil war known as the Anarchy, the castle had already been left empty for several years. People at that time even called it the "Old Castle of Dean."