Wall of Burgh Castle Saxon Show Fort, Norfolk

This is the best preserved part of the wall of the Saxon Shore Fort at Burgh Castle. The wall is built up with a flint and mortar core, with exterior faces built up with beautifully dressed and squared flints, separated with rows of thin Roman red tiles.

The fort is part of the series of coastal defences under the command of the 'Count of the Saxon Shore' at the end of the Fourth Century. Another such fort in Norfolk can be found at Brancaster. It was garrisoned at this period by the Equites Stablesiani, who would be well suited for patrolling the flat coastline, probably with the addition of a detachment of naval vessels to intercept raiders.

The fort was probably constructed around 300 AD to protect the southern entrance shore of the Great Estuary, the pesent Broads area of the Yare, Waveney and Bure was then under water. There was another fort at Caister-by-Yarmouth that faced it on the north shore.