Bolsover Castle
National iconFlamboyant Jacobean mock-castle on a ridge.
Open to visitorscheck opening times and admission before you go
Standing remainssubstantial fabric survives to stand in front of
Sir Charles Cavendish began the Little Castle at Bolsover in 1612, a fantastical retreat built to look like a Norman keep rather than to actually defend anything, with wall paintings and carved fireplaces still intact inside. His son William, later Duke of Newcastle, added the Riding House in the 1630s — one of the earliest indoor riding schools to survive in England, built for the dressage he helped pioneer. Bess of Hardwick, Charles’s mother, built Hardwick Hall not far off. English Heritage runs Bolsover now, open daily through summer and Thursday to Monday over winter, with a paid ticket.
More at the National Heritage List entry
