Royal castle on a ridge, Dickens's favourite.
Open to visitorscheck opening times and admission before you go
Standing remainssubstantial fabric survives to stand in front of
Rockingham Castle began as a motte-and-bailey built for William the Conqueror, later rebuilt as a Tudor house after Henry VIII granted the lease to Edward Watson; the Watson family has owned it ever since. Charles Dickens stayed here five times and is said to have based Chesney Wold, in Bleak House, on the house, with its Elephant Walk becoming the novel’s Ghost’s Walk. Open on Sundays and bank holidays from April, plus Tuesdays too in summer, with guided tours into the house. Rockingham village sits just below the castle gates.
More at the National Heritage List entry
