Canterbury Castle

#64 The Keep of Canterbury Castle
Kent, England
1086 - 1120
This is NOT an official Lego site

Canterbury dates back long before the Roman occupation, when the town of Durovernum Cantiacorum was protected by a two-mile 2nd century AD wall. When the Anglo-Saxon town was taken by William the Conqueror in 1066, a typical motte and bailey castle was quickly constructed. The motte is still visible in Dane John [= donjon!] Park. About the time the Conqueror's son, William II, became king, a great, stone tower of 90 x 75 feet (plus plinth) was begun. Construction lasted well into the reign of Henry I [1100-1135]. It had pilaster buttresses, two cross-walls inside and a forebuilding, of which only the foundations remain. The top two stories of the keep, which was probably about 80 feet tall, are absent. The extensive and once powerful castle in Kent with its gates, barbican, bridge, chapel and other buildings has gradually disappeared, since by 1179 King Henry II had opted to make Dover Castle his stronghold, and Canterbury was declining in importance.

The great keep became the county gaol [jail] and remained so at least until 1381, when Wat Tyler and his Peasant Revolt overpowered the guards and released the prisoners, before he headed for London where he was eventually beheaded and his revolt collapsed. Most of the facing stones of the tower were taken to be used elsewhere, leaving just the inner core. The two remaining very fine gatehouses and mostly 14th century town wall with towers were built later when a French invasion was anticipated. By the 17th century the tower was partially collapsed and quite ruinous, and it was almost demolished in the 18th century. The deterioration was aggravated by its use in the 19th century as a storage facility by Canterbury Gas Light and Coke Co. The Canterbury City Council purchased the castle in 1928, and restored the donjon to its current state.


Interior View	A Canterbury Gatehouse	Canterbury Town Wall	A Canterbury Gatehouse	Canterbury Town Wall


Map of downtown Canterbury	A Canterbury Gatehouse	Canterbury Town Wall	A Canterbury Gatehouse	Canterbury Town Wall

Photos of the Lego Model Built June 1997

Northeast View	Northwest View	Southeast View	Southwest View

Build Your Own

East View	Top Down	West View