Kirby Muxloe Castle LE9 2DH
Free for EH members
Open: Seasonal - See website
History:
On Friday 13 June 1483 William, Lord Hastings, attended what he thought was a routine council meeting in the Tower of London called by Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
When he left a few hours later, it was to be dragged out onto Tower Green and hastily executed without trial.
Few falls from grace in English history have been quite so sudden or so shocking, even by the standards of the Wars of the Roses.
Kirby Muxloe Castle serves as a poignant memorial to his ambition and sudden death.
Hastings’s family escaped further penalties and were allowed to inherit his lands. But when news of his death arrived at Kirby Muxloe, three days after the event, the bricklayers, masons and carpenters stopped work at once. Construction resumed in the autumn and winter of 1483, but on a vastly reduced scale. When it finally ceased altogether in September 1484, much of the castle remained unfinished.
Today the gatehouse and one of the corner towers survive within the moated site, offering a glimpse of what Hastings had intended to be one of the most advanced and fashionable manor houses of its day.
Above the gateway is an empty niche, almost certainly designed to hold a sculpted panel of Lord Hastings’s heraldic ‘achievements’. It was never completed.
Dog Friendly:
Dogs allowed on lead.
Entry Charge:
Variable prices (see website)
Parking:
Free parking is available at Kirby Muxloe Castle (spaces are shared with the local Fishing Club). There is some additional on-street parking located in Oakcroft Avenue. Please note: There is no coach and minibus parking available at the site.
Facilities:
There are no food or drink facilities available at Kirby Muxloe Castle. The nearest off-site facilities can be found at the Castle Hotel.
Picnic area
Gardens
Notes:
The castle is surrounded by a moat.
There are some spiral stairs with narrow access.
Visitors should note that there are no toilets available on site.
Contact:
Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk
Tel: 0370 3331181