Scheduled MonumentsEnglandWenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall)

Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall)

England
List entry 1003759
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003759
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.06 hectares
Grid reference
TM0807739065
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Little Wenham Hall is a brick-built domestic tower of the thirteenth century, constructed in the 1260s and among the earliest surviving examples of brick architecture in England. The rectangular tower stands three storeys high with corner turrets and was originally part of a fortified manor complex, serving as both residence and defensive stronghold for the de Valois family. The building exemplifies the transition from stone to brick construction in medieval East Anglia and retains important architectural features including its original fireplaces, windows, and crenellated parapet. The hall remains significant as evidence of high-status domestic building practices and the development of brick technology in thirteenth-century England.

Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall) is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003759. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall)?

Little Wenham Hall is a brick-built domestic tower of the thirteenth century, constructed in the 1260s and among the earliest surviving examples of brick architecture in England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003759.

Who is responsible for protecting Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall)?

Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall) 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 1003759.

What other scheduled monuments are near Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall)?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moated site at Moat Farm, 450m south of Cobbler's Corner (2.8 km), Dodnash Priory (site of) (4.1 km), Moated site and remains of demolished parts of Shelley Hall, a post-medieval great house (5.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall)

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall)'s history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall)

Wenham Castle (Little Wenham Hall) stands on Neogene To Quaternary Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Quaternary. The rock here is gravel, sand, silt and clay.