Cambridge Castle is located north of the River Cam not far from the middle of the city. The castle was built after the Normal conquest to control the route to northern England. It was expanded by Edward I but was no longer used in medieval times, and the stones were used to build the surrounding colleges. The structure was used as a goal and prison, which was demolished in 1932 and replaced with Shire Hall at the bottom of the mound. The only remains of the castle are the motte and earthworks, and the earthworks can be walked to see views over the city.
Cambridge Castle was one of three castles built by William the Conqueror in 1068, and it was originally called Grantabridge. A priory was founded beside the castle at a later date. The castle was seized at one point, and it was maintained under Henry II and improved with a space to store sheriff's records. King John expanded the castle and constructed a new hall, and the castle saw more conflict and was rebuilt in stone in 1282 by Edward I, but it was not maintained from the 14th century.
A lot of the stone was reused for building King's College in 1441 and Trinity College's chapel. The gatehouse was used for a gaol in the early 1600s.
During the Civil War, the castle was temporarily repaired, but it was not used. The gatehouse was standing in the 1800s but demolished to make way for the county court building in 1932, and this is now the council offices today. The large building in the below photographs is Shire Hall, the county council buildings.
After visiting the castle, I had my breakfast. It included a pistachip hot chocolate and pistachio croissant. They were from a cafe and coffee shop called Aromi.
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