Beaudesert Castle

Beaudesert Castle stands on a high mound near the village of Beaudesert, east of Henley-in-Arden in Warwickshire. The site began as an Iron Age fort called Donnilee, its hilltop shaped into a motte and bailey after the Norman conquest. A timber hall was built first, then replaced by a stone castle in 1140 by Thurstan De Montfort under Henry II. The De Montforts kept the castle for over a century, with Peter de Montfort among its residents. The Earl of Warwick took control around 1369, after which the castle’s importance faded. Some repairs were made in 1411, but the castle was later abandoned. During the early Wars of the Roses it was dismantled, its timbers reportedly used to build grand houses in Henley. Today only a single stone and earthworks remain, along with traces of two fishponds and the old motte and bailey defences. Archaeologists from *Time Team* explored the site in 2002, uncovering further details of its past. Visitors find a quiet grassy mound rising above the surrounding countryside. The remaining stonework is modest but clearly marks the castle’s former strength. Earthworks outline the motte and bailey layout, while the fishponds hint at the estate’s organised water management. The views stretch across the Warwickshire landscape, giving a sense of the strategic position once held by the fort. The site is peaceful now, with few signs of its turbulent history, yet it still tells the story of power and decline.