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Hedingham Castle is a Norman keep built in the late twelfth century by the de Vere family, who held the honour of Essex as substantial landholders throughout the medieval period. The castle survives as a four-storey square stone keep with decorative arcading and a dramatic forebuilding, constructed around 1140 and representing one of the finest examples of Norman military architecture in England. The keep rises to approximately one hundred feet and features substantial walls with an original height of one hundred and ten feet, dominating the surrounding landscape and demonstrating the power and resources of its aristocratic builders. The castle served as both a baronial stronghold and administrative centre, and its survival in relatively good condition makes it an exceptionally important testimony to twelfth-century feudal military design and the domestic arrangements of the Norman elite.
Hedingham Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002218. View the official record →
Hedingham Castle is a Norman keep built in the late twelfth century by the de Vere family, who held the honour of Essex as substantial landholders throughout the medieval period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002218.
Hedingham Castle 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 1002218.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moated site south of Rectory Road, 170m east of St Peter's Church (1.8 km), Roman villa 480m south east of Hill Farm (5 km), Stanley Hall moated site (5.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Hedingham Castle'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.
Hedingham Castle stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.