please empty your brain below
The tradition seems to be living on in Ruislip.
I remember the Ruislip Library my mother worked there till 1963, when we left the UK. I have since been back for a visit in 1997 and again in 2014. That whole area from St Martins to the Great Barn has not really changed all that much.
There used to be a picturesque cafe by the pond called, imaginatively, The Duckpond. The building is still there but is now a generic Prezzo. Such a shame.
Caesars Camp on Wimbledon Common? (Actually misnamed, as it is Iron Age)
Does Jack Straw's Castle count?
One would not expect to find a Norman castle in the Domesday Book, which was essentially a stocktaking exercise of the assets seized/inherited by William the Conquerer in 1066. And certainly anything built in Middlesex in the 9th century wouldn't be Norman - it was part of the Kingdom of Mercia at the time.
No trace of Baynard's Castle remains at ground level, the original having been demolished by King John in 1213 and the subsequent rebuild being more palace than fortification. Limestone walls from the latter were uncovered during the construction of Baynard House in 1972, but cannot be seen so surely should not be included.
The idea that Jack Straw's Castle (a 1964 public house built by GE Wallis and Sons) should count is plainly ludicrous, as would be the potential inclusion of Elephant & Castle!
Kingston has a "Castle Street" but there is no castle - the street is apparently named after a Mr Castle. It also has a housing development on a former barracks (of which the gatehouse remains), called The Keep.
As for the castle, I think one of the signs said it was more of a wooden fort. The area here was found Roman artefacts and it probably held a more temporary structure or hunting lodges for the woods here. Perhaps it was before the Doomsday book or nothing as important to note but I gather it was a very old wooden structure and a monastery here is how the house came about. http://jenikya.com/blog/2016/04/ruislip-manor-farm-ruislip-castle.html
Thank you for a well-written and thoughtful review of your visit to Manor Farm, Ruislip. Indeed, the Norman 'castle' would have been a wooden bailey. A temporary structure by nature, it did not survive the departure of Ernulf de Hesdin. De Hesdin had been gifted the medieval Manor of Ruislip by William the Conqueror in recognition of his support in the Norman Conquest. De Hesdin, in turn, handed over the Manor of Ruislip to the Norman Abbey of Bec in the second half of the twelfth century. The Norman Abbey's presence on site entailed the building of a small chapel and priory buildings, none of which remain today.
Our current temporary exhibition 'Fun and Games' by the Ruislip, Northwood and Eastcote Local History Society closes on 26 August. It will be succeeded by a special Autumn exhibition by Hillingdon Council, bringing to life our extraordinary wallpaper in the hallway, designed by Abraham Price and produced by the Blue Wallpaper Warehouse in Aldermanbury c. 1700. This opens on Wednesday 5 September and closes on Thursday 25 October.
For more information on visiting Manor Farm: www.hillingdon.gov.uk/manorfarm
For our exhibition programme: www.hillingdon.gov.uk/mfexhibitions
Do consider coming back on the weekend of 15-16 September. We'll be travelling back to Tudor times with Manor Farm History Weekend, in association with Open Heritage Days. Free event, with plenty of activities for the whole family.
www.hillingdon.gov.uk/mfheritage
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