Key facts
- Operator
- English Heritage
- Condition
- Ruin
- Access
- Free, open access
Pinpoint
Moat Ln, Old Bolingbroke, Spilsby PE23 4HH
Telephone 0370 333 1181
Possible Opening hours
Opening times change. Always check the official website before you travel.
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | Open 24 hours |
The birthplace of Henry IV in 1366, built a century earlier and later slighted - deliberately demolished - after briefly falling to Royalist forces during the Civil War, leaving the low ruins and moat that survive today in a quiet Lincolnshire village. There's not a great deal standing, but it's free, peaceful, and the history carries more weight than the remains suggest at first glance.
Worth the trip
Standing where Henry IV was born - the historical connection is the real substance here, more than what's physically left to see.
Before you go
Parking is limited to space for about two cars down a narrow lane by the entrance, so arrive prepared for a tight squeeze; there's a short path around the site worth following for the full moat view.
Visitors consistently describe Bolingbroke as a peaceful, free-to-visit ruin with helpful information panels explaining its history, including its royal connections. Several note that not much of the original structure survives, but most feel it's still worth the stop given there's no charge. Parking is a repeated minor gripe, with reviewers mentioning only a handful of spaces along a narrow lane.
Henry IV's birthplace; managed by Heritage Lincolnshire
“Very peaceful and tranquil, nice place to stop off and explore. Not a great deal left but can see some of the old ruins and moat. Better than some places I've been and paid to get in. This one is free.”— Vicki Olley, visitor review
