Key facts
- Operator
- Lindsay family
- Condition
- Partial ruin
- Access
- Staffed, ticketed
Pinpoint
Castle Hedingham, Halstead
One of the best-preserved Norman keeps in England, built around 1140 for the de Vere family, Earls of Oxford, who held the castle for five centuries. It's privately owned by the Lindsay family today, with the keep open alongside a programme of seasonal events like jousting and medieval fairs.
Worth the trip
The keep's Great Hall, spanned by its famous Norman arch — one of the largest of its kind to survive intact.
Before you go
Check the seasonal events calendar before visiting, since opening can vary around scheduled fairs and tournaments — these events can make for a livelier, if busier, visit than a quiet weekday.
Intact Norman keep; seasonal events
