Welshpool motte and bailey castle, also known as Domen Gastell. This type of castle were typical of the early Norman period in Britain. They consisted of a large earth mound (the motte - providing a high point on which to build a wooden or stone tower) and a surrounding banked and ditched enclosure (the bailey - an defended area which would have contained domestic and military buildings). They would have been quick and easy to build and garrison with troops and many, like Welshpool, would have soon become the nucleus of small towns. Domen Gastell, was Welshpool's first castle, and despite the encroachment of modern development on all sides, it has remained largely intact for over 800 years. Today the bailey is occupied by a bowling green and surrounded by trees. Photograph 94-C-131 © The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust.

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