When was ashby castle built

Home » Tourism and what's on » Places to visit » Ashby Castle. Originally a Norman Manor House, it was converted into a self-contained fortress by Lord Hastings in the 15th Century. During the Civil War the Castle was occupied by a Royalist Garrison and laid siege for over a year by the Parliamentarian army until the Royalists surrendered in After the Civil War the Castle was partly destroyed and largely forgotten until it was used as the location for the fictional tournament in the classical historical romance "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott who stayed in the area.

Steps were taken to preserve the Castle and it is now in the care of English heritage. Tour the impressive ruins and explore the secret kitchen tunnel used during the seige. Climb the 24 metre high Hastings Tower and enjoy superb views over the surrounding countryside. Vending Machine. Accessible Carpark Free , Carpark Paid.

The large hall at Ashby de la Zouch Castle as seen from the top of the tower. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Carvings in the main tower stairway at Ashby de la Zouch Castle. Image courtesy of Tim Hodson, Flickr Commons.

Hours Summer: — Winter: — Similar Castles. More Medieval Castles. Framlingham Castle Framlingham Castle has no central keep but a curtain wall with 13 towers. More to see in East Midlands. Work had already begun by this time though; Lord Hastings had commissioned upgrades at Ashby no later than which he sought to convert into his primary residence. The fortifications came to a halt in when Lord Hastings was executed by Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Richard calculated that Lord Hastings would not agree to removal of the young King and, to enable him to proceed with the plan, accused him of treason whilst in Council in the Tower of London.

Lord Hastings was promptly taken outside and beheaded without even a trial. The new King perhaps felt some guilt at this vicious act against an individual that had been so loyal to the Yorkist cause as, a little over one month after William's execution, the family estates were restored to them.

The family continued to serve the Tudors and, during the reign of Elizabeth I, the then owner of Ashby - Henry, Earl of Huntingdon - was trusted to act as gaoler for Mary, Queen of Scots. By the time of the seventeenth century Civil War Ashby Castle was in a poor state of repair.

Nevertheless it was garrisoned for the Royalist cause and was re-fortified. A vital link between the fighting in the north and the south, Ashby was visited twice by Charles I including the night after the decisive defeat at Naseby on 14 June The castle was surrendered to Parliament on 28 February and, after being initially used as a prison for Royalists, was partially demolished to prevent its use as a military base.

The castle was never fully repaired, despite efforts throughout the nineteenth century, and drifted into ruin. Bennett, M Leicestershire Archaeological Society.

Emery, A Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Fosbrooke, T. H Ashby de la Zouch Castle.