Roman era Walton Castle, Suffolk

walton castle, drawn in 1623

walton castle saxon shore type fort, built in late 3rd century. of our knowledge of fort derives outline drawing , plan of 1623, 18th-century literary accounts. 1623 drawings show plan similar burgh castle north. forward projecting curvilinear towers present @ corners of fort. walls have flint facing brick bonding courses. presence of forward-projecting towers rounded corners thought evidence construction date contemporary other saxon shore forts such burgh castle , othona.

in 1722 remains described as:

tis 100 yards long, five-foot above ground, 12 broad @ each end , turned angle. composed of pepple , roman bricks in 3 courses, round footsteps of buildings, , several large pieces of wall cast down upon strand seas undermining ye cliff have roman brick. @ low water mark of visible distance in sea. there 2 entire pillars balls, cliff 100-foot high.

in account of 1754 length of west wall given more accurately 187 yards, , described being 9 feet thick .

roman finds found in vicinity of fort suggest existence of extensive roman settlement occupied on long period. vicus, , port

there may have been second fort on promontory around 6 miles south of walton castle. location, on west rocks, 3 miles out sea.