Norwich Castle was built as a royal palace, the stone keep was completed in 1121 and was built over a wooden fort dating to 1067 when at least 98 Saxon homes were demolished to make way for the castle earthworks, surrounded by deep dry ditches. Henry I is known to have stayed at Norwich Castle in 1121 for Christmas. The castle was built from limestone from Caen in France and covered a large area with associated buildings. This was the backdrop from which Dr Tim Pestel gave us a broad and detailed update on the progress of returning the keep to the medieval period. The current project commenced in 2009 and the estimated completion is Easter 2024.
During the medieval period the castle was one of the most prestigious in Europe. At this time Norwich was the second city to London and was considered a European city of great importance. The transformation of the Keep will allow us to experience a Norman royal palace 900 years ago with all its stories. This heritage project is the largest of its kind currently in the UK, at a cost of £27 million made up mainly from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Keep is grade 1 listed being of great historic significance.
From the 14th century the Keep was used as a county jail, until a new jail was constructed both inside and around the Keep. Between 1822-27 it was considered outdated and the outside block was demolished. The Keep has experienced many changes over the years and the excavations presently underway have revealed various layers of activity giving up a timeline of the building. Modern technology has greatly assisted in rebuilding of this precious building, working with the old and the new, it will become “A jewel in the crown” as it takes its place as one of the UK's premier heritage attractions, this being one of the five headlines for the project. It will become the British Museum’s first medieval gallery outside of London and will bring treasures of international importance to Norwich, another headline for the project.
The new displays will feature medieval designed banners which will be displayed in the great hall. With manuscript evidence of the period a new throne and foot stall are taking shape, built by modern day carpenters. A 12th century table runner has been completed, but the most exciting textile project will be an 18 metre depiction of a story from the Bayeux tapestry in 15 panels. Norwich Castle – a Royal palace in the making, and exciting project for which we thank Dr Tim Pestell for his dedication, his vision, his hard work, and thank you also to the team of experts who are assisting in this mammoth task.