Photo: Pahazzard / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
About this place
Ashby de la Zouch Castle began as a twelfth-century manor house before William Lord Hastings transformed it into a fortified residence in the 1470s.
It stands in the Leicestershire market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and the tall Hastings Tower remains its most striking feature despite the slighting the castle suffered during the Civil War.
A tunnel beneath the site once connected the tower to the kitchen block.
English Heritage manages the castle and membership covers entry.
Plan your visit
Open year-round with reduced weekend-only hours in winter; check the English Heritage website for current dates and times.