[7] To accommodate the existing castle, a large ditch was cut through a natural spur westward into the Colne Valley in order to form a ringwork and inner bailey; an outer bailey extended south further into the valley and what is now the modern village of Castle Hedingham.

[6] They are constructed from flint rubble bound with lime mortar,[5] but, very unusually for an Essex castle, are faced with ashlar stone transported from a quarry in Barnack, Northamptonshire.

The keep has five floors including the Great or Banqueting Hall with a large fireplace and a central arch extending two storeys.

[5] Their demise is owing to the ambitious building plans of Henry VII, which required vast amounts of stone.

[11] Around 1700, a Queen Anne style red-brick mansion was built in the outer bailey by Sir William Ashhurst, an MP and a former Lord Mayor of London.

The castle was long held by the de Vere family except for a hiatus during the Wars of the Roses.

[19] In 1713, the castle was purchased by William Ashhurst; after his death in 1720, the estate passed to his great-great-granddaughter, Margaret Elizabeth Lindsay, the wife of Lewis Majendie.

[1] While Hedingham Castle remains a family home, the Norman keep and grounds are open to the public from Easter to October.

The castle grounds are a venue for jousting, archery, falconry, re-enactment battles, fairs, classic and vintage car shows, music concerts and theatre productions.

[1] In 2001, British pop group Steps filmed part of the music video (which was largely animated) for their single, "Words Are Not Enough" inside the castle.

[1] The castle also appeared in a 1997 photo-shoot for Vanity Fair featuring Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow;[1][21] the photograph can be seen hanging in the National Portrait Gallery, London.