Darrow Wood

Darrow Wood, off Darrow Green Road at Denton near Harleston, is less a wood than a small, hedge-enclosed, lightly wooded pasture field. Hidden in its clumps of trees are a number of earthworks, including what the Trust describes as one of the few well preserved small motte and bailey castles in Norfolk. The Trust says the earthworks have been known for over a century, yet who built them, and when or why, remains a mystery. Historians call the site Denton Castle and suggest it was probably raised after 1088 by William d'Albini, who also built a castle at Buckenham, and that it may have been destroyed around 1254. The motte is around 150 feet across and ringed by a ditch, with a horseshoe-shaped bailey alongside; the castle is a scheduled monument and was bought by the Trust in 1990. Cattle with calves graze the field throughout the year, so dogs must be kept under close control. There is no car park at Darrow Wood, and the field is reached on foot by the public footpath between Darrow Farm and Denton.