A towering red-brick keep on the Lincolnshire flatlands, one of the finest early brick buildings in England, saved from ruin by Lord Curzon
Open to visitorsa National Trust place — check opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
Tattershall Castle is really one great tower, and it is a startling sight rising out of the flat Lincolnshire farmland. What makes it unusual is the material: it is built almost entirely of red brick, at a time in the 1430s and 1440s when most grand buildings still went up in stone. Ralph, Lord Cromwell, who was Treasurer of England under Henry VI, had it built to show off his wealth and standing, and it worked. Six storeys tall, with vast Gothic fireplaces and a spiral stair to a battlemented roof, it was more a statement of status than a serious fortress.
By the early twentieth century the tower was close to being lost, and its grand fireplaces had been ripped out and were about to be shipped abroad. Lord Curzon, the former Viceroy of India, bought the castle in 1911, tracked down the fireplaces and had them put back, then left it to the National Trust, which cares for it today and charges for entry.
The tower stands in the village of Tattershall, with Coningsby just across the River Bain, and from the top you get a wide view across the fens and the River Witham. It is flat, easy country for a gentle day out. Just down the road is the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Visitor Centre at RAF Coningsby, where the historic wartime aircraft are based.
Visit on the National Trust website →
More at the National Heritage List entry
