England · Ruin
Duffield Castle
Duffield Castle was a Norman motte-and-bailey castle on a rocky promontory overlooking a river in Duffield, Derbyshire. Built in timber after the Conquest and later rebuilt in stone, it possessed a very large rectangular stone keep; the site was razed in the 13th century and survives as earthworks and foundations managed by the National Trust. The location is a scheduled monument and has been the subject of archaeological excavation.
Its prime
1200
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1200
The shape it held in its prime.
Sits atop a rocky promontory facing the river, a high earthen motte with the broad rectangular footprint of a massive stone keep at its summit; the keep measures roughly 98 by 95 feet and is built of coursed local stone. Below the motte lie the slighted outlines of a surrounding bailey and ancillary foundations extending over about five acres. The skyline is dominated by the squat, blocky keep massing, low curtain lines and the grassy mound and ditches falling to the riverbank.
Its story
The story of Duffield Castle.
Duffield Castle occupied a rocky promontory facing the river, a naturally defensible spot where Anglo-Saxon remains suggest earlier occupation, possibly by a thane named Siward, alongside quantities of Roman and Romano-British pottery. The Norman castle spread over an estimated five acres and had a massive square stone keep, 31 metres on a side, entered by stairways to the first floor since the ground level had neither windows nor doors.
The castle belonged to the de Ferrers: Robert distinguished himself against the Scots at the Battle of the Standard in 1138 and was made Earl of Derby, and the family held the honour for seven generations until Earl Robert rebelled against Henry III. The de Ferrers lands then went to Prince Edmund, shortly afterwards created Earl of Lancaster. The site, now a scheduled monument, survives as earthworks and foundations.
Step inside
9 places to explore in 1200.
The record describes 9 distinct spots at Duffield Castle — including 4 interiors: west-side stairways and first-floor entrances, ground floor foundations and vaulted substructure, first-floor guardroom / stateroom and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Duffield Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1200 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →Whose castle
Clans who held Duffield Castle.
The families that held Duffield Castle for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
Ferrers
Held by the de Ferrers, Earls of Derby from 1138, for seven generations until Earl Robert's rebellion against Henry III cost the family its lands, which passed to Prince Edmund, later Earl of Lancaster.
