Ashby de la Zouch Castle

Ashby de la Zouch Castle stands in the Leicestershire town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Built by William, Lord Hastings after 1473, it replaced an older manor house on the same site. Two large towers and smaller buildings were added by 1483, when Hastings was executed. The Hastings family lived there for generations, improving the gardens and welcoming royal guests. A 3,000-acre park surrounded the castle, designed to impress visitors and provide hunting grounds. The castle played a part in the 17th-century English Civil War. Henry Hastings, a younger son of the family, became a Royalist commander and made the castle his Midlands base. After a long siege, he surrendered it to Parliament. In 1648 another rebellion led Parliament to damage the towers with gunpowder and undermining. The family later turned parts of the ruins into a new house, though they moved their main home elsewhere. Today the castle is managed by English Heritage. Its grounds include some of the best-preserved early Tudor gardens in England. The historian John Goodall calls it an outstanding example of a late medieval castle. Visitors can explore the remaining towers, walk through the old gardens and see where Mary Queen of Scots was once held. The site offers a quiet look at centuries of English history.