Crowmarsh Gifford Castle, Siege castle and ringwork castle in Crowmarsh, England
Crowmarsh Gifford Castle is a siege castle and ringwork castle in the village of Crowmarsh, Oxfordshire, England. It survives today as an earthwork, meaning only the raised ring of earth that once formed the base of the fortification remains visible on the ground.
King Stephen had this fortification built around 1139 during the civil war known as The Anarchy, placing it opposite Wallingford Castle across the River Thames to cut off supplies to that stronghold. Once a peace agreement ended the conflict, the wooden structure was taken down shortly after.
The earthwork remains are located near the center of Crowmarsh village and can be reached on foot without any formal entrance or ticketing. Because only a low ring of earth survives, the site is best visited as a short stop combined with a walk along the nearby River Thames.
This fortification was never meant to be a permanent castle but was built solely to blockade Wallingford Castle on the opposite bank of the river. That makes it one of the few examples of a siege castle that was raised, used for a single military purpose, and then deliberately dismantled once that purpose was done.
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