This substantial motte stands between 14.7 and 16 metres high, with a base diameter stretching 62.5 metres and a summit spanning 27.6 metres. At its western edge, the remains of a D-shaped bailey measuring 68 by 50 metres can still be traced, though much of this defensive enclosure now lies beneath modern housing. Historical records from 1908 indicate there were once additional defensive ditches, including one at the southeast side where a road now runs, and possibly a lower bailey to the northwest, though no surface evidence of the latter remains today.

The site’s current name offers a glimpse into its medieval afterlife; a windmill stood atop the motte during the fifteenth century, giving rise to the ‘Millmount’ designation that appears on Ordnance Survey maps. This practical reuse of the Norman fortification continued into the nineteenth century when, in 1810, military engineers crowned the ancient mound with a Martello tower, part of Britain’s coastal defence network against potential Napoleonic invasion. The tower’s remains still occupy the summit, creating an unusual architectural timeline where Norman, medieval and Georgian military history converge in a single structure.

The bailey’s boundaries remain clearly defined by steep escarpments on all sides except the north, where modern development has obscured the original defensive lines. Archaeological surveys suggest the D-shaped bailey would have originally connected back to the northwest side of the motte, forming a complete defensive circuit. While a modern wall now marks what some have identified as a lower bailey, this appears to be a later addition rather than part of the Norman defensive scheme, making it difficult to determine the full extent of the original fortification complex.