Clare Castle in Suffolk is a prominent motte-and-bailey castle built shortly after the Norman Conquest by Richard Fitz Gilbert, cousin of William the Conqueror, with first documentary records appearing by 1090. The castle's impressive motte rises 100 feet with a base 850 feet across, dominating the landscape of rural Suffolk. In the 13th century, the de Clare family replaced the original wooden structure with a stone keep, and the castle gained further renown as the residence of Elizabeth de Clare, granddaughter of Edward I and founder of Clare College Cambridge, during the period 1320-1360. Now preserved within Clare Castle Country Park and incorporating the historic Clare railway station, the castle site is freely accessible daily from 8:30 to 17:00, offering visitors a chance to explore Norman military engineering and medieval family history.
