Baconsthorpe Castle, historically known as Baconsthorpe Hall, is a ruined, fortified manor house near the village of Baconsthorpe, Norfolk, England. It was established in the 15th century on a former manor hall site, probably by John Heydon I and his father, William. John was an ambitious lawyer with many enemies and built a tall, fortified house. Still, his descendants became wealthy sheep farmers and, less worried about attack, developed the property into a more elegant courtyard house, complete with a nearby deer park.
By the end of the 16th century, the Heydons were spending beyond their means, and the castle had to be mortgaged. Nonetheless, new formal gardens and a decorative mere were constructed alongside the house. Sir John Heydon III fought alongside the Royalists in the English Civil War and, in retaliation, was declared delinquent by Parliament in 1646. His fortunes did not recover, and he began to demolish Baconsthorpe in 1650 to sell off its stonework. The outer gatehouse was turned into a private home and continued occupied until 1920 when one of its turrets collapsed. In the 21st century, the castle’s ruins are managed by English Heritage and open to visitors.
The remains of the castle consist of a moated inner court with a mere to the north and an outer court and an outermost court to the south. The main surviving buildings are the inner, fortified gatehouse, dating from the 15th century, the long building used for wool manufacture, and the outer gatehouse, first built in the 16th century but much altered in later years. The outermost court holds part of the original barn, a large building that would have symbolised the Heydons’ lordship of the manor.
