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COPYRIGHT 2004 The Spectator Ltd. (UK)
The main surviving section of Guildford's Norman castle is the keep or donjon. At first sight it resembles an 18th-century folly, as much as anything else, perched picturesquely as it is upon a grassy mound. When the borough acquired the castle in 1885, indeed, there was a proposal to demolish the 'ugly old ruin' and build a tasteful grandstand in green cast-iron instead.
Historical records of the castle are sparse in the extreme: a handful of building accounts, eked out in the past by perfunctory archaeology--and sheer guesswork. For years an official notice stated that the castle was founded by Julius Caesar. A recently completed programme of restoration (the official opening is today, 26 June) has resulted in a substantial rewriting of its history, with some surprising results....
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