Richborough Castle

Richborough Castle is a Roman Saxon Shore fort better known as Richborough Roman Fort [1]. It is situated in Richborough near Sandwich [1]. Substantial remains of the massive fort walls still stand to a height of several metres [1]. It is part of a larger Roman town called Rutupiae or Portus Ritupis that developed around the fort and the associated port [1]. The settlement was founded after the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43 [1]. Earth fortifications were first dug on the site in the 1st century, probably for a storage depot and bridgehead for the Roman army [1]. The site expanded into a major civilian and commercial town, and the stone Saxon Shore fort was added around the year 277 [1]. The later fort is believed to have been constructed by the rebel Carausius [1].