It was certainly in existence by the time the king came to visit in 1151. The motte was a man-made mound with steeply sloping sides and a wide and deep ditch that surrounded the base. Timber buildings would have stood on its flat top and would have been further protected by a wooden palisade placed around the edge of the summit.
A man-made mound with steep sides, a wide ditch surrounding its base, timber buildings on its flat top, and a wooden palisade around the summit.