Luton Castle was a 12th-century

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the town of

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

, in the county of

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

().

12th Century Castle

It was a timber

motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

structure built in 1139 and demolished in 1154 following a truce.Plaiters' Lea Conservation Area, Luton - Historic Area Assessment

13th Century Castle

Another castle on a different site was built in 1221 but was destroyed around 1224 or 1225. Earthworks and associated bailey survived but were removed. An excavation was done in 2002, revealing a steep ditch. The site is now home to Matalan, a discount store. Nothing visible remains of either castle.

References

Castles in Bedfordshire {{England-castle-stub