The main castles in Berkshire were Windsor, Wallingford and Donnington. These are also the only ones which still have walls standing today. There were other castles in the county once though.

Some of these were built of wood by rich lords after the Normans conquered England in 1066. They weren't very popular with the locals. The lords had to protect themselves. They consisted of a 'motte' or mound with a tower on top with a walled 'bailey' around it for living quarters.

This type could be found at Abingdon, Hamstead Marshall, Hampstead Norris, Hinton Waldrist & West Woodhay.

Some were built during the Civil War between the Empress Matilda and King Stephen. Lords needed extra protection and the King couldn't stop them putting up castles. Some of these were built very quickly as wooden 'siege castles'. They were used as a base from which to attack other castles nearby.

This type could be found at Brightwell, Cholsey, Faringdon, Hamstead Marshall near Newbury, South Moreton & Reading.

In Medieval Times, lords built moats around their manor houses. If they were rich, they could ask the King for permission to 'crenellate' their house. This meant putting battlements around it to make it into a castle. These are sometimes called 'Fortified Manor Houses'.

This type could be found at Aldworth, Caversham, Crookham, Swallowfield, Yattendon & the Bishop's Palace at Sonning.