King John's Castle

King John's Castle

A man-made mound stands on a wooded rise above the River Dene, on the southwestern fringes of Kineton, Warwickshire. The mound forms part of a 12th-century motte and bailey fortification known as King John's Castle or, alternatively, King John's Mound.

History

According to local tradition, the castle was built on the orders of King John sometime prior to 1215, possibly during the Baron's Revolt that led to the signing of the Magna Carta. The castle's connection with King John is open to debate, but there is evidence to suggest that the tradition may be true.

King Richard I is thought to have given Kineton to his younger brother John in the late 12th century.

Atop the castle motte

Kineton was owned directly by the king and the village name is thought to be a contraction of 'King's town'. The village stood on a busy route between London and Warwick and the castle was likely built to guard a busy crossing of the River Dene.

King John gave the estate to Stephen de Seagrave sometime around 1216.

The motte, or castle mound, now stands at just six feet, with a broad, tree-covered top. It would originally have been much higher, but erosion has taken its toll. To one side of the mound is a large pit that may have been excavated to find earth to erect the mound. You can still see the D-shaped earthworks that defined the boundary of the bailey enclosure that enclosed the castle mound.

Facts and Figures

• The castle motte is 38 metres at its base and 1.8 metres high
• The motte top measures 15 metres across
• To the north and north-west are remains of banks and ditches

Visiting

The easiest way to visit King John's Castle is via Castle Road. There is no car park and no signage to direct you to the site, but we found it easy to park along Castle Road. Do take care not to block access to houses along the road!

At the end of Castle Road is a metal fence with a gate. Pass through the gate and you find yourself entering an area of dense woodland. There are two information panels at the entrance, one with an artist's impression of what the castle would have looked like and the other describing the rich bird and animal life along the river valley.

The castle bailey

To access the castle you simply follow the obvious footpath as it leads into the woods. In less than five minutes of level going you will see a low rise to the right of the path. This is the motte. There was no signage when we visited the motte so we had to try to pick out the bailey features in the undergrowth.

What is most impressive about King John's Castle is the area of the motte. The relatively flat top of the mound is much larger than you might expect and you can imagine that it would have been quite impressive when new.

If you continue on past the castle you will come to the River Dene where you can follow footpaths in both directions, creating a pleasant riverside walk.