I am not sure I understand Mettingham. Or, at least, I wasn’t in the position to get up close and personal with all the walls and remaining towers as my poor level of research had failed to note that a street goes to the very back and probably allows some better access to the keep than the front road which I ended up using.
What so confused me here — or at least puzzled — was that the entirety of the inside area in the castle seemed to be dedicate to private housing. This seems like an exceptionally poor use of such a monument though no doubt my opinion on this would be the opposite if it was me living there!
However, my failure to note the rear side meant that most of my observations were from quite far away. While I did note the strength of the main front-facing wall and saw some parts of the moat, the actual feeling of this place was lost for me. And yet, it could be that this synthesis of old and modern I mention above is what made it disappear: the memories of the people who were here before have fallen deeper into the ground beneath the multitudes of people who are here daily.
Yet, another thought at this site makes me think that it is the absence of stories relating to this place which has made me lose that sense where I can recommend it. I don’t know about the inner grounds and all, but at least the outside facing side which I saw did not mention anything about the place or its owners while it is the stories about the people who lived here and did things here what I appreciate most.
I will give Mettingham another chance if I am nearby, but won’t be recommending it above everywhere else before then.
