Lydford Castle and Saxon Town

Lydford Castle and Saxon Town near Okehampton presents a rare multi-layered defensive landscape on the edge of Dartmoor, comprising three distinct historical layers. A 13th-century stone tower on a mound served as a notorious medieval prison, its harsh conditions earning descriptions as the realm's most contagious and detestable place. To the south lies a Norman earthwork castle with evidence of wooden structures behind defensive ramparts. To the north stand the remarkable Saxon town defences from the 9th-century burh system, with grid-pattern streets and a mint that once generated tax revenue equivalent to major Devon towns, reflecting prosperity rooted in tin trade.