Description

The monument comprises the remains of a motte and bailey castle, a military stronghold built during the medieval period. A motte and bailey castle comprises a large conical or pyramidal mound of soil or stone (the motte) surrounded by, or adjacent to, one or more embanked enclosures (the bailey). Both may be surrounded by wet or dry ditches and could be further strengthened with palisades, revetments, and/or a tower on top of the motte. At Womaston the castle sits on a south-easterly facing slope on the north side of the valley of the Hindwell Brook. The motte is c.30m in diameter at the base and stands 3.9-4.4m high, with a flattened summit. Around it runs a water-filled moat c.2.4m wide. A detached line of bank c.147m long, which may have been part of the defences of a bailey, runs to its north and east, parallel with the present-day lane. The full extent of any bailey thus defined is however now unclear, though it has been suggested that it may have contained most of the present house and garden. A pool lies a short distance to the south-east of the motte, a relationship which is paralleled elsewhere in the Walton basin area. All the features described above lie within the gardens of the later house, and are likely to have been adapted to suit the ornamental scheme, though the extent of any such alterations is not clear.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval defensive organisation. The well-preserved monument forms an important element within the wider medieval context and the structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information relating to chronology, building techniques and functional detail.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.

Source: Cadw