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Ashby Castle is a late medieval fortress located in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, founded in the late fifteenth century by William, Lord Hastings, who obtained a licence to crenellate in 1474. The castle comprises a substantial stone keep known as the Hastings Tower, which rises prominently above the surrounding landscape, along with curtain walls and domestic ranges that reflect both military and residential functions typical of a noble residence of the period. The associated formal garden, laid out in the seventeenth century, represents a later phase of development when the castle was adapted for leisure and display rather than active defence. The castle's significance lies in its demonstration of late medieval aristocratic power and architectural sophistication, and it remains one of the more substantial castle ruins in the Midlands, with the Hastings Tower particularly notable as a striking survival of fifteenth-century masonry.
Ashby Castle and associated formal garden is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1013324. View the official record →
Ashby Castle is a late medieval fortress located in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, founded in the late fifteenth century by William, Lord Hastings, who obtained a licence to crenellate in 1474. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1013324.
Ashby Castle and associated formal garden is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1013324.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Coal mining remains in Lount Wood (2.7 km), Coal mining remains at The Conery, 500m south of Coleorton Hall (2.9 km), Coal mining remains at Birch Coppice and Rough Park, 950m and 1.5km south of Smoile Farm (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Ashby Castle and associated formal garden's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Ashby Castle and associated formal garden stands on Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.