Gidleigh Castle

Gidleigh Castle stands on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, about three kilometres north-west of Chagford. It was the manor house of Gidleigh, built on a slope that would have made defence difficult. The Prouz family held the manor from the late 12th century until the early 14th century. Sir William Prouz built the castle, but it passed to his daughter Alice Prouz and then through marriage to the de Moels family. By the 15th century, the manor had moved to the Coode family, and later to the Gidley family in the 17th century.

The castle is now recognised as a fortified manor house rather than a true castle. Its thick buttressed walls and barred doorways show signs of fortification, though its design resembles Okehampton Castle six kilometres away. The same master mason may have worked on both buildings, using local dolomite rock. Only a ruined keep tower remains, with an undercroft below and a hall above, linked by a stairway. A fireplace with flanking windows and a garderobe recess can still be seen inside.

The ruins were stabilised in the 1990s and 2000s after damage from nearby garden works. They are now a Grade I listed building, of exceptional historical interest. The site offers a quiet place to see the remains of medieval architecture against the backdrop of Dartmoor. The castle’s history reflects the shifting fortunes of Devon’s medieval families. Its modest ruins tell a story of change over seven centuries.