The scant remains of a Norman castle in one of England's finest old stone towns, on rising ground above the River Welland
Open accessfree to visit at any reasonable time
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
There is not a great deal of Stamford Castle left, so go knowing that. It was a Norman castle, raised after the Conquest on high ground above the River Welland, and for a while an important one. Most of it was pulled down centuries ago, and what survives is a stretch of stone wall on the edge of the town centre, with an open space where the great courtyard once stood.
The real reason to come is Stamford itself, widely reckoned one of the loveliest towns in England, built almost entirely from honey-coloured local limestone. The castle fragment is an easy add-on to a stroll round the streets, churches and the water meadows down by the river at The Meadows. If you want a bigger day of it, Burghley House, the enormous Elizabethan mansion, sits on the edge of town a mile or so to the south-east.
More at the National Heritage List entry
