Wisbech Castle, Medieval fortification in Wisbech, England.
Wisbech Castle is a Regency-period house built in 1816 on the site of earlier medieval fortifications, in the town of Wisbech, England. The two-storey limestone building has a symmetrical front and sits within a walled garden near the town centre.
William I ordered a Norman timber castle to be raised here around 1072 to control the river port of Wisbech. Over the following centuries the site was rebuilt in stone, used as a bishop's palace, and eventually replaced by the current house in 1816.
Although it carries the name castle, the current building is a Georgian-style house that today serves as a private residence. Visitors walking past can admire its symmetrical stone facade and walled garden, which give the site a quiet, residential character quite different from what the name suggests.
The building is currently a private residence and cannot be visited inside, but the exterior can be seen from the street at any time. Walking through the nearby town centre gives a good sense of the site in relation to the rest of Wisbech.
Despite its name, the site once served as a prison, holding local inmates within walls that had previously housed a bishop. This past use stands in sharp contrast to the quiet residential building visitors see today.
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