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From temple to castle

When the Norman baron, Eudo Dapifer, built Colchester Castle around the podium of the Roman Temple of Claudius, he built the largest Norman keep in Britain. He could hardly have made it any smaller, because he built the castle hard up against three sides of the temple podium. But why did he do this in the first place?

The castle was constructed almost entirely of re-used Roman building materials (unlike the White Tower), so there would have been a logic in incorporating in situ Roman work if it suited. There may also have been an element of one-upmanship. It seems as if, in the 11th century, the local people believed that the temple had been the palace of the great King Cole who had founded the town. By building the castle on the palace, Eudo might have been making a statement about his own power and authority and that of his master, William the Conqueror, on whose behalf he was carrying out the work.