Merdon Castle QR 2 – The Gatehouse

The grass earthworks and ramparts of Merdon Castle can be seen on the high ground to the north of Hursley Village covering about 14 acres.

The hillfort is of probable Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age (eighth to fifth centuries BC). The later castle was built by Henry de Blois, the Bishop of Winchester between 1129 and 1138, although there is tentative documentary evidence to suggest that it may originally have been the site of a Saxon defended manorial residence dating from the eighth century. It was partly demolished in 1155 on the accession of Henry II but was used as a bishop’s palace until at least the 14th century.