Visited August 2024

Location	Selsey, West Sussex
Entrance Fee	No
Railway Station Nearby	No
Parking	Yes
Facilities	None
Map

A little known and little visited castle motte with no visible stonework remaining and no public access- but can be viewed from the church car park next door.

Review

The castle is on private land next door to St. Wilfred's Church, Selsey. The mound is fenced off, possibly to keep visitors out but also as it is used to graze sheep.

Although largely unknown today, it was once an important defensive site which was in use right from the Early Iron Age. Excavations found evidence of a Roman look-out tower, and also Anglo-Saxon and Norman footings of a great tower. The site is situated next to Pagham Harbour, which would have once been capable of taking large ships, although it has altered over time and its waters are too shallow for large scale shipping these days.

It's use as a castle dates back to the 11th century, with the church next door, dedicated to St Wilfred dated as much older. Back in 681 a monastery and a cathedral were built on the site; the cathedral was relocated to Chichester during the Norman times. The cathedral site was then converted to a parish church, which remained in use until 1990. It now opens for visitors and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

The initial excavations at the castle took place in 1911 and were not extensive, so there is potentially a lot more history of the site to discover if any further excavations are sanctioned in the future.

Both the mound and the church are well worth a visit, and can be reached by road if driving, or a beautiful walk along the beach to Pagham Nature Reserve. As you reach the vicinity of the mound from direction of the beach, there is a bird hide for any budding ornithologists to check out. Watching the sea birds come and go is very relaxing after the beach walk.

The church can also be visited, and the day we were there was very busy with visitors. The volunteer from the Churches Conservation Trust was knowledgeable about the history of the church. There are some Commonwealth War Graves in the surrounding cemetery which the church steward was also helpful in locating.

All in all a trip to the mound and the church makes a lovely day out for all ages. 

More info:  Norton Castle Mound/a>