NHER 30 (Monument record) - Castle Keep, Norwich Castle

Built by William Fitzobern in about 1067 AD on site of ninety-eight Late Saxon houses.

1888-1894.
Norwich Castle Keep was converted from a prison into a museum. A copy of architect E. Boardman's plans for converting the Keep is held at Norfolk record Office (S16). During the conversion work the well was emptied and although no detailed records were made of the work, a assemblage animal bone, shell, 16th/17th century pottery and a medieval pewter flagon were retained (NWHCM: 1890.54). The pewter flagon has a zoomorphic handle and is likely of 14th century date.
See article (S17) and photographs (S18).
A. Beckham (HES), 6 May 2020 and 19 May 2021.

1967. Specimen of Caen stone found while Rotunda being built.

1971. Historical survey and general description.
See (S1).
S. Howard (HES), 28 October 2011.

1972. Medieval and later pottery and animal bones from trenches below floor of keep basement. Wall footings identified. A unidentified object made of walrus ivory was also recovered (S15).
Amended by A. Beckham (HES), 20 March 2020.

1975. Trenches through dungeon onto entrance door. Much medieval/post medieval material.

1982. Building Survey.
Survey by [1] that sought to clarify the evolution of the design and internal planning of the keep.
See preliminary report (S2), and final report in (S3) for further details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 October 2015.

1986. Excavation.
Small-scale excavations by NAU as part of survey of keep by [1].
Uncovered evidence of earlier plan of building.
Late 11th-century deposits located. Evidence of rebuilding of north wall.
See report in (S3) for further details. See (S4)/(S5) for a shorter summary of the results of this work.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 October 2015.

April 1997-July 1998. Architectural Survey.
Recording of the exterior stonework of the keep. A photogrammetric survey of the exterior of the keep was used as the basis for this work. Detailed examination of the stonework, mostly dating from the complete refacing carried out in the 1820s and 1830s, allowed the decorative mock joints incised by the 19th century stonemasons to be differentiated from the 'true' joints that divided the different blocks of stone. The different types of stone used on the exterior of the keep were identified, and surviving elements of the Norman keep were recorded. These included a large corbel drain support reused in the south face, a Caen stone arch at the base of the north side of the Bigod tower and three separate areas of Caen stone, both reused and in situ, on the east face. Further surviving Caen stone was located behind the Bath stone façade in the window reveals of the west face. The Norman chimney flue systems on the central buttress of the south face and on the north east corner buttress were examined.
See report (S6) for further details.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 25 May 2007.

See notes, elevations, references and schedule in file and further details under NHER 429 (whole castle).
Material from 1986 excavation held by NCM.
For discussion of similarity of architecture to that of the cathedral see reference (S7).

2000. Photogrammetric Survey and Architectural Survey.
A small-scale research project took advantage of the emptying of the Keep during the museum redevelopment. A photogrammetric record of all the internal keep elevations was produced, and these were then enhanced to show architectural elements, features and phasing. These annotated CAD elevation are intended to act as an aid for future interpretation.
Information from (S9). For further details see digital images and annotated drawings (S13) and accompanying notes (S14).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 19 September 2017.

Early 2001. Photogrammetric Survey and Architectural Survey.
Following rectified photographic recording by Hirst Conservation a drawn record was made of the condition of the newly-cleaned Great Arch. See report (S8) for further details. This work is also noted in (S12).
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2024.188).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 October 2015 and 20 October 2024.

2008.
Norwich HEART
Described by Norwich HEART as architecturally the most ambitious secular Norman building in Europe.
See (S10) and (S11).
D. Gurney (NLA), 27 January 200]9.