Totnes Castle is one of the best preserved examples of a Norman motte and bailey castle in England. The surviving stone keep and curtain wall date from around the 14th century. Occupying a commanding position on a large hill overlooking the town, the castle guards the approach to three valleys. Constructed a couple of years after the Norman Conquest in 1066, it is probable the castle initially consisted of a wooden palisade and tower. However the first stone shell keep and walls on the site were likely to have been built by William de Braose in the thirteenth century. By 1326 the castle was largely dilapidated and a royal order was made for the repair of the fortifications. This resulted in a new shell keep of Devon limestone and red sandstone as well as the building of a stable. The castle is now a scheduled monument and Grade I listed.