Newcastle Castle Keep
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Newcastle upon Tyne's Castle Keep ( ) was built by order of King Henry II of England between 1168 and 1178.
The keep stands on a site of an earlier Motte-and-bailey castle begun by Robert Curthose, the son of William the Conqueror, in 1080. Prior to this, it was a cemetery belonging to the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Monkchester, and before that the site of Pons Aelius, a Roman fort. Curthose's castle was the "New Castle upon Tyne" from which the city's name derives.
The Keep is a Grade 1 listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
It is currently owned by Newcastle City Council and managed by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, one of the world's oldest antiquarian societies.
The City's Blackgate stands adjacent to the Keep. It was named after Patrick Black, a tenant there in the 17th century.
The Castle Keep and Blackgate can be visited today. It is also notable in having the main East Coast railway line running through the centre of the grounds. In particular, the battlements offer fine views over the River Tyne quayside, the cathedral and Newcastle Central station.
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