This defensive structure, likely dating from the Anglo-Norman period, shows how natural landscapes were cleverly adapted for military purposes. The site consists of a modified natural mound, roughly circular in shape and measuring about 13 metres east to west and 12 metres north to south, which would have served as the castle’s central stronghold.

The fortification’s defences are still visible in the landscape, though time has softened their edges. A deep fosse, or defensive ditch, curves around the mound with varying dimensions; it’s best preserved on the western and north-eastern sides where it reaches depths of up to 65 centimetres and widths of over four metres at the top. This ditch is accompanied by an outer bank that would have provided an additional barrier to attackers, standing about half a metre high on its interior side. The open-ended design of the fosse is particularly interesting, as it continues beyond the main scarps and doubles back around the base of the natural mound, creating a complex defensive system.

What makes this site particularly intriguing is how it demonstrates the practical limitations of such fortifications. The natural mound enclosed by the fosse and bank on the western to eastern sides is extremely steep, suggesting this area was likely never inhabited but rather served purely as a defensive feature. A gap in the inner scarp on the northern side, measuring about 4.5 metres wide, probably marks the original entrance to the ringwork. Today, the earthworks stand as a subtle but fascinating reminder of how medieval lords and their engineers worked with the natural landscape to create formidable defensive positions, even if the living quarters had to be situated elsewhere on more hospitable ground.