Wingfield Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Set apart from the village of Wingfield, in north Suffolk, this moated fortified manor illustrates how the high nobility of the late 14th century reconciled military prestige with residential comfort. The site, brought as a dowry by Katherine de Wingfield, daughter of Sir John de Wingfield, became the residence of her husband Michael de la Pole, who obtained a royal licence to fortify it in 1384. The quadrangular enclosure covers about 0.6 hectares. The south front, the best preserved, presents a flint curtain wall rising some twelve metres above the water, octagonal corner towers and an imposing gatehouse that retains the groove of its portcullis. A bridge still crosses the moat on the east side. In the 16th century, Sir Henry Jerningham had the western part pulled down to build a Tudor house within the walls. Listed Grade I, Wingfield Castle remains a private residence: it is not open to the public, but its facade can be seen from the neighbouring village green.