Castles in my Family - Hedingham Castle

Hedingham Castle, located in the charming village of Castle Hedingham in Essex, is considered the best-preserved Norman keep in England. The castle’s fortifications and outbuildings date back to around 1100, with the keep being built around 1140. Although most of the medieval structures have not survived, the keep remains mostly intact, missing only two turrets.

William the Conqueror awarded the manor of Hedingham to Aubrey de Vere I by 1086. The Domesday Book records that he held the manor of Hedingham by 1086, and he ordered that vineyards be planted. The de Vere family then built the castle in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, completing the keep in the 1130s and 1140s. To make space for the castle, a large ditch was cut through a natural spur extending westward into the Colne Valley, creating a ringwork and inner bailey. An outer bailey extended further into the valley, reaching what is now the modern village of Castle Hedingham. Today, the stone keep stands as the only surviving medieval structure.

See also https://www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk/.