What is recorded here

Oakham castle rose around 1075 as a motte and bailey, placing a Norman hand on the heart of Rutland before stone halls and courtrooms followed. The great hall, built by Walkelin de Ferrers between 1180 and 1190, still stands beside the buried ditch and garden banks that once fed its kitchens. What is missing has not stopped the place speaking: grass, water marks and hammered stone still trace the shape of a working castle, not a dead monument.

The National Heritage List for England records Oakham motte and bailey castle and medieval gardens as a scheduled monument. The saved point comes from the centre supplied by the official record. Listing does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Built in the late 11th or early 12th century, Oakham motte and bailey castle was constructed by the de Warenne family, who held significant lands in the region following the Norman Conquest. The site is important as a well-preserved example of a Norman motte and bailey castle, with associated medieval gardens, offering insight into early medieval military and domestic architecture in England.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.