More information : (SK 20872911) Keep (NR) (Site of) (1)
The castle motte stands 40 feet high by 70 feet across and bears
on its summit a 'Folly Keep' of post 1760 AD. There is said to
have been a medieval shell-keep here called Julius Tower,
destroyed before the reign of Elizabeth. (2-3)
No trace of the original keep remains, but minor excavation on
the north side of the top of the mound has revealed fragments
of masonry. (4)
"The folly is actually late 18th-century, not early 19th-century. It was built no earlier than 1780, as it was built by Lord Vernon of Sudbury who inherited his title in that year, and no later than 1792, by which time it appears in a dated watercolour. The castle is currently the subject of a major research project, and I will provide more information on the site in due course." (5)
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