Editing Reigate (section)

===Reigate Castle===
{{main|Reigate Castle}}
[[Image:Reigate Castle 002.jpeg|right|thumb|The gatehouse folly was constructed in 1777.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1188787|desc=Reigate Castle Gateway|grade=II|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>]]
Reigate Castle was built in the late 11th or early 12th century, most likely by [[William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey]]. Taking the form of a [[motte-and-bailey castle]], it was originally constructed of [[lumber|timber]], but the [[curtain wall (fortification)|curtain walls]] were rebuilt in stone around a century later. A water-filled moat section was dug into the clay on the north side and a dry ditch was excavated around the remainder of the structure. The large size of the motte indicates that the castle was designed both as a fortification and as the lord's residence from the outset.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=44}}</ref>{{refn|Local legend says that part of [[Magna Carta]] was [[draft document|drafted]] in the Barons' Cave beneath Reigate Castle in 1215, but the academic consensus is that this story is untrue.<ref>{{harvnb|Douglas|2016|p=15}}</ref> The earliest recorded reference to the cave system is from 1586.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/beta/sites/underground-sites/barons-cave-reigate |title= Barons' Cave, Reigate |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2022 |publisher= The Time Chamber |access-date= 22 April 2022 |archive-date= 7 April 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220407035853/https://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/beta/sites/underground-sites/barons-cave-reigate |url-status= live }}</ref>|group=note}}

Following the [[dissolution of the monasteries]], the lords of the manor moved their primary residence to Reigate Priory, to the south of the town. The castle was allowed to decay, with only small outlays recorded in the manor accounts for repairs, until 1686, when the buildings were reported as ruinous. Much of the masonry was most likely removed for local construction projects, but in around 1777, Richard Barnes, who rented the grounds, built a new gatehouse folly using the remaining stone. A century later, the Borough Council was granted a long lease on the property, which had been turned into a public garden.<ref name=Hooper_1979_46-47>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|pp=46–47}}</ref>{{refn|In late Victorian times, the field to the east of the castle was used as a cricket pitch.<ref name=Hooper_1979_46-47/> A new road, Castlefield Road, was constructed over the field and the Municipal Buildings were built on the west side, opening in 1901.<ref>{{harvnb|Hooper|1979|p=189}}</ref>|group=note}} Regular tours of the caves beneath the castle are run by the Wealden Cave and Mine Society.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://reigatecaves.org.uk |title= Reigate Caves |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Wealden Cave and Mine Society |access-date= 8 October 2021 |archive-date= 4 March 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210304011327/https://reigatecaves.org.uk/ |url-status= live }}</ref>