Gleaston Castle

Gleaston Castle was most likely built for John Harington, 1st Baron Harington, in the 14th century, replacing nearby Aldingham Motte as the centre of the manor the Harringtons had held since 1291. It is first mentioned in 1389, though John Harington, 2nd Baron, is said to have died there in 1363. The plan is quadrilateral, with a tower at each corner — the largest, the north-west tower, probably housed a hall.

The castle descended through the Harringtons until William Harington, 5th Baron, died in 1458, when it passed by marriage to William Bonville and was abandoned. It went on to the Grey family until Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, was executed for treason in 1554, then became royal property before the Preston family bought it in the 17th century; from them it passed to the Cavendishes.

Because it was deserted barely a century after it was built, the ruin preserves 14th-century work unaltered by later occupation: locally quarried limestone with red sandstone door and window dressings, the sandstone possibly gathered from a beach two miles away. The Grade I listed remains, on the Heritage at Risk register, now form part of a working farm and are visible from the roadside.