The Castle Mound (Motte) is located between Castle View and Castle Gardens, and is within the Castle Conservation Area.
The Castle Mound is the remains of Leicester's first castle (which is likely to have been built in 1068 by the King and subsequently handed over to the greatest Norman landowner in the county, Hugh de Grentemesnil). The first castle here was built, almost certainly, by order of William the Conqueror soon after Hastings. It was placed in the south-west corner of the town to take advantage of the surviving Roman walls to the south and west.
The earliest castle was of the Motte and Bailey type. The motte, a great earthen mound approximately 30-40 feet high, still survives but would have been taller in its original state and was topped by a wooden tower. No buildings survive, however. The motte was lowered in the late 19th century to form a bowling green for the Castle Inn, now also gone.
Visitors can access the Mound from Castle Gardens.
