Ashby De La Zouch Castle
Has been described as a Certain Tower House
There are masonry ruins/remnants remains
| Name | Ashby De La Zouch Castle |
| Alternative Names | Ashby Castle, Ashby de la Zouche |
| Historic Country | Leicestershire |
| Modern Authority | Leicestershire |
| 1974 Authority | Leicestershire |
| Civil Parish | Ashby De La Zouch |
The standing remains of Ashby Castle, a fortified house cum castle on the eastern outskirts of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The manor of Ashby was granted by William I to Hugh de Grantmesnil and subsequently passed by marriage to the Zouch family towards the end of C12. The site is primarily a C12 house which was redesigned and rebuilt over a period of several centuries. Between 1464 and 1483 Lord Hastings undertook an extensive building programme at Ashby, whilst retaining many of the site's existing structures. During the Civil War it was besieged and surrendered to the Parliamentarians in 1646. Several principal buildings were slighted, rendering them untenable, and Ashby was abandoned as a dwelling. The buildings of the early Norman house are thought originally to have been timber structures which were replaced after 1150 by ones built of stone. The standing remains of C12 hall and solar are situated in the central part of the site. In circa 1350 the hall was redesigned as a single storey building and stone arcades were constructed to support the roof. At the same time a new solar was built and the existing solar was used as a pantry and buttery. To the west of the hall are the standing remains of a kitchen building erected between 1350 and 1400. To the north and south of the castle are two courtyard areas with the northern courtyard retaining the buried remains of the gatehouse to the site. In 1474 Lord Hastings obtained a licence to erect a fortified house at Ashby. Several new buildings were constructed including a large tower house, known as the Hastings Tower, a chapel and a small courtyard of domestic buildings. (PastScape)
This site is a scheduled monument protected by law
This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law
Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
| OS Map Grid Reference | SK361166 |
| Latitude | 52.7462882995605 |
| Longitude | -1.46628999710083 |
| Eastings | 436110 |
| Northings | 316630 |
