Page 20 - John Barber's Oakham Castle and its archaeology

Fig. 17. Section of Cullingworth’s 1787 map of Oakham (Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland).

To summarise then, I would hazard a guess that the sub-circular inner bailey had towers at the south-western
corner (one), along the eastern wall (two) and along the western wall one for certain and probably two. At the
south-eastern corner the height and strength of the revetted motte of the earlier castle may have been sufficient
defence, whilst a fortified gateway midway between that and the south-western tower could well have been
protection enough on the southern side, where subsequent urban development has most interfered with the
bank, walls and moat. On the north side evidence is entirely lacking, but it is possible that, with a garden and
fish stews outside the inner bailey, the defences at this point were less impressive.

Para 5: ‘ONE HALL’.
The hall is really all that remains in a worthy state of repair, apart from the entrance gateway. As I write it is
undergoing a major overhaul, which will do much to enhance its already attractive appearance – rewiring, a
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new heating system, redecorating and the removal and refurbishing of the entire collection of horseshoes. It is
of its kind one of the finest domestic buildings in the country of the Norman transitional period, and despite
numerous alterations of one kind or another over the centuries, it retains much of its original appearance.
Without attempting to describe in detail the hall as it now stands, I shall nonetheless endeavour to draw
attention to certain aspects of its nature and construction, and this I can only do by considering one feature at a
time and by ignoring all modern accretions such as the judge’s robing room, the two cells, the boiler house and
the three rooms to the north (petty sessions room etc).

17 This refers to works done in preparation for celebrating the approximate octocentenary of the Great Hall in 1980, and the conservation of all the
horseshoes at the Rutland County Museum which was carried out at the same time.

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