Burgh Castle is a Roman fort in Norfolk, built in the late 3rd century as one of the Forts of the Saxon Shore, the chain of defences that guarded the coast of south-east England. Its flint-and-tile walls still stand about 4.6 metres high on three sides, on a low cliff above the River Waveney estuary about 6km south-west of Great Yarmouth. Entry is free on foot from dawn to dusk, and the site may also have held an early Christian monastery before a Norman castle was built inside its walls.

History of Burgh Castle

Gariannonum and the Saxon Shore

Historic England says the Saxon Shore forts were heavily defended Roman military installations, all built in the third century AD, probably between about AD 225 and 285, to guard against sea-borne Saxon raiders. It identifies Burgh Castle as Gariannonum, a garrison listed in the Notitia Dignitatum, a late fourth-century list of government appointments, among those under the command of the Count of the Saxon Shore.

The Norfolk Historic Environment Record says the fort was probably built between AD 260 and 280. Stephen Johnson’s report on Charles Green’s excavations notes that they suggested it existed by the 340s AD, with no earlier occupation on the site. English Heritage says it was probably abandoned just over a hundred years after it was built, although Historic England records a hoard of glass vessels from the early fifth century, buried with a bronze bowl and an iron-bound wooden bucket, as evidence of activity continuing to the end of Roman military occupation and after.

The Walls and Bastions

Historic England’s list entry describes a trapezoidal fort with rounded corners, measuring about 205 metres by 100 metres inside. The walls on the north and east sides and along much of the south side survive to about 4.6 metres high and up to 3 metres thick at the base. They have a core of mortared flint rubble, faced in knapped flint with bands of tile or brick.

Six solid, pear-shaped bastions project from the outer face of the walls, and a central gate opens in the east wall. Historic England records that the west wall, which stood along the edge of a scarp above the estuary marsh, had collapsed before the Norman castle was built, and nothing of it is now visible.

The Vicus and Life Outside the Walls

Historic England records that a vicus, the civilian settlement that grew up beside a Roman fort, survives below ground to the north, south and east of Burgh Castle. Aerial photographs show crop marks of ditched streets, lanes and house plots, and small-scale excavations found settlement remains dating to the late third and fourth centuries AD. The field east of the fort was a Roman military cemetery, and it was used again for cremation burials in the early Saxon period.

The Norfolk Archaeological Trust ran a National Lottery-funded project in 2016 called ‘Life outside the Walls’, which included test-pit excavations in the area around the fort.

Saint Fursey and the Monastery at Cnobheresburg

Bede records that the Irish saint Fursey founded a monastery in AD 633 inside a ‘castle’ called Cnobheresburg, on land given by King Sighebert of the East Angles. Historic England says the location of Burgh Castle corresponds to Bede’s description, and identifies it as the probable site. Excavations found Middle Saxon pottery showing occupation from the mid seventh to the ninth centuries, an inhumation cemetery radiocarbon dated between the sixth and tenth centuries, and traces of a timber building that may have been part of a church.

The identification is not settled. Johnson’s report on the Green excavations says the oval huts, cemetery of 150 graves and Middle Saxon pottery are not firm evidence for the monastic site, and that the question remains open.

Ralph the Engineer and the Norman Castle

The Norfolk Historic Environment Record says Burgh Castle was held in 1086 by Ralph the Engineer, who may have built the Norman motte and bailey castle inside the fort’s walls. Historic England dates that castle to the late 11th or early 12th century. The motte, an earth mound topped by a timber tower, occupied the south-west quarter of the fort, while the rest of the fort served as the bailey, or defended courtyard.

The mound was partly removed around 1770 and levelled completely in 1839, according to Historic England, although its ditch survives as a buried feature. The same record notes that ‘Burgh’ comes from an Old English word for a stronghold, a reminder of how long the site has been fortified.

Charles Green and the Excavations

Charles Green excavated parts of the walls, bastions, internal turrets and two buildings between 1958 and 1961, and Johnson published the results in 1983 as East Anglian Archaeology report 20. Historic England adds that limited excavations by Harrod in the 1850s had already clarified some details of the standing walls.

Burgh Castle as a Scheduled Monument

Burgh Castle was first scheduled on 25 October 1921. A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site protected by law. Historic England’s entry says the fort includes the best preserved and most impressive standing Roman remains in Norfolk. The Norfolk Archaeological Trust, a charity, manages the site today.

Visiting Burgh Castle: Practical Information

• Address: Burgh Castle Fort, High Road, Burgh Castle, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR31 9QQ. For the car park, use sat nav NR31 9QB.
• Cost: Free entry, according to English Heritage.
• Opening hours: On foot from dawn to dusk. The car park opens at 8am and is locked at 8pm. No motorbikes are allowed on site.
• Managed by: The Norfolk Archaeological Trust.
• Getting there from London: Greater Anglia runs trains from London Liverpool Street to Great Yarmouth up to once an hour on weekdays. From Great Yarmouth, continue by bus (see below) or on foot.
• By bus: First Eastern Counties service 5 (Yarmouth to Burgh Castle via Bradwell) takes about half an hour and stops outside the Queen’s Head pub, although the stop itself is not marked. From there it is a short walk along Butt Lane to the site entrance. Check times on Traveline East Anglia.
• By car: Leave the A12 at the A143 junction and follow signs to Burgh Castle and Gorleston. After the Queen’s Head pub, turn left into Butt Lane; the car and coach park is a short distance along on the right.
• Parking: English Heritage lists charges of £1.50 for 2 hours, £2 for 4 hours or £4 all day. Napier Parking runs the car park, and the revenue goes to the Norfolk Archaeological Trust to care for the site.
• On foot: The Angles Way, a long-distance path from Great Yarmouth to Thetford, passes through the fort. The stretch from Great Yarmouth runs about 6km along the southern shore of Breydon Water.
• Facilities: There are no toilets or other facilities at the site. Two small open-sided structures in the car park area hold interpretation panels and offer some shelter. The Queen’s Head pub is nearby.
• Accessibility: The Trust describes a circular all-access route around the fort, including a boardwalk along the Angles Way.
• Dogs: Welcome, but they must be on leads at all times.
• Guided tours: The Trust says free private tours can be arranged by emailing info@norfarchtrust.org.uk.
• Guidebook: The Trust offers a free printable PDF guide, and sells a guidebook covering Burgh Castle, Caister-on-Sea and Brancaster.

Prices last checked: October 2026.

Opening hours last checked: October 2026.

Where to book: No booking is needed, because entry to the fort is free. Official visitor information is on the Norfolk Archaeological Trust’s Burgh Castle page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nearby Chronicle Trails Guides

• Norfolk Broads National Park: the fort stands within The Broads, overlooking the marshes of the Yare and Waveney.

Burgh Castle is one of many historic sites across England worth planning a trip around. Browse our Castles & Historic Attractions guides for more forts, castles and ruins.