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 Castles of England - Baconsthorpe Castle






Map by mapchart.net - Some rights reserved.


Location
north of Baconsthorpe, Norfolk, England

Description
Baconsthorpe Castle is located north of the village of Baconsthorpe in Norfolk, England. The castle was a fortified manor house and is now in ruins. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building. The ruins include the remains of towers, forming a square court of 30m, and the curtain walls are still complete. In the middle of the south wall are the remains of a three-storey gatehouse with a two-storey projection for the drawbridge. To the east are the remains of a two-storey range. There is a lake on the east side, and a deep moat round the other three sides. The ruins are administered by English Heritage and are accessible to the public.

History
Baconsthorpe Castle was built in the late 15th century by John Heydon and Sir Henry Heydon (died 1504). The castle was originally a manor house which was later fortified. A three-storey gatehouse was built in the south wall, and later the a quadrangle was completed with curtain walls, towers and a range of buildings on the east side. There used to be a drawbridge over the moat. An turreted outer gateway was built 50m south of the drawbridge. The house fell into disrepair after the Civil War. The outer gatehouse was inhabited until 1920.


Other Castles in the Area
  Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire
  Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire
  Nottingham Castle, Nottinghamshire







Nottingham Castle
Looking southward through the fortified entrance of Baconsthorpe Castle to the gateway beyond the moat

Photograph by Barbara Carr. Some rights reserved.  (view image details)

Nottingham Castle
Baconsthorpe Castle - the moat

Photograph by Evelyn Simak. Some rights reserved.  (view image details)

Nottingham Castle
Baconsthorpe Castle: inner gatehouse

Photograph by Christopher Hilton. Some rights reserved.  (view image details)

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