In 1835 the County Magistrates thought it advisable to 
restore the dilapidations of the Keep by entirely refacing the 
exterior. The illustration here shown is after an etching 
by the Revd. E. T. Daniell, which he published as a protest 
against the action of the Magistrates. Fortunately nothing 
was done to the interior of the Keep until the prison 
buildings erected inside were pulled down and the original 
Norman work exposed under the able supervision of Mr. 
Edward Boardman, F.R.I.B.A., a well-known local 
architect 
8 
The Keep was intended as a place of refuge rather than a 
permanent habitation and was therefore only accessible by an 
outside staircase (now destroyed) on its'east front. The stair¬ 
case, which was broken by a drawbridge, terminated in 
the “ forebuilding ” called “ Bigod’s Tower,” still standing, 
, - 
but much spoiled by its refacing in 1834. Bigod’s tower 
with its richly ornamented Norman doorway gave access 
to the Great Hall on the level of the present wooden gallery. 
On entering the interior of the Keep by the staircase from 
the main entrance, the visitor finds himself in what was 
formerly the old gloomy basement, lighted by narrow slits 
of windows, and between these narrow openings on the 
south side are some curious pipe-like passages in the wall 
by which the archers could communicate with each other. 
The Keep was divided into two halves by a great wall 
running from east to west. The foundations of this 
wall may still be seen and are marked above by the line of 
modern columns ; it rose to the height from which the 
double-pitched roof now springs. The present roof 
follows the line of an ancient roof of uncertain date. 
Great care has been exercised in the renovation of the 
interior not to hide any work of architectural value, and 
where wall-cases have been fixed they only hide unsightly 
modern brickwork. Two spiral stone staircases built in 
the thickness of the walls lead from the basement to the 
battlements from which a magnificent view of Norwich 
and the surrounding country may be obtained. On the 
level of the upper windows a passage runs round the 
four sides of the Keep. In the basement may be seen the 
Norman well, 115 feet in depth, and dungeons containing 
scratchings on the stone work, the work of prisoners in 
former generations. 
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