Mettingham Castle

Mettingham Castle stands in the parish of Mettingham in northern Suffolk. It began as a fortified manor house built within a small moat. In 1342 Sir John de Norwich received a licence to crenellate the house, adding a second moated court to the north with a gatehouse. A third moated court was later built to the south. By the 16th century the castle contained stables, kitchens, storehouses and an aisled hall. The castle passed from Sir John’s family to a college of secular canons in 1394. They established Mettingham College inside the smallest moated court and taught up to thirteen boys. After the Dissolution the site was sold repeatedly until the 18th century, when most of the castle was demolished for a farmhouse. That farmhouse itself was removed in the 19th century, leaving only parts of the medieval stonework. Today the gatehouse, sections of stone wall and the surrounding moats remain. The site is protected as a scheduled monument and Grade II listed building. A recent renovation project repaired damage with a grant of £330,000 from English Heritage. Earthworks and moats still mark the three original courts, showing the castle’s former layout.