England · Partial ruin
Haughley Castle
Haughley Castle is a medieval motte-and-bailey castle in the village of Haughley, Suffolk. Large earthworks survive as a scheduled monument: a very large motte with circular stone foundations on the summit and a rectangular bailey protected by a deep ditch and wet moat.
Its prime
1175
Today
Partial ruin
As it stood in 1175
What Haughley Castle looked like in its prime.
A broad rounded grassy motte dominates the site, reported as about 210 ft (64 m) across at the base with older measures suggesting a height up to 80 ft (24 m), rising above a deep ditch and a wet moat fed by a diverted stream. A rectangular bailey (approximately 390 by 300 ft / 120 by 91 m) is defined by low earth ramparts; the motte summit displays a thick circular stone foundation over eight feet in thickness. The village church and manor-house footprint lie close to the earthworks and a brick/flint retaining wall borders the reflective water.
Its story
The story of Haughley Castle.
Haughley Castle was a medieval motte-and-bailey castle in the village of Haughley, north-west of Stowmarket in Suffolk. Historians have rated it highly: J. Wall considered it "the most perfect earthwork of this type in the county", while R. Allen Brown described it as "one of the most important" castle sites in East Anglia.
The castle was held by Hugh de Montfort, who became a monk in 1088, after which it passed through his family. By the late 12th century the Bigod family, Earls of Norfolk, had come to dominate Suffolk, in open competition with the Crown for control of the region.
In 1173, during the revolt of Henry's sons, the Bigods' ally Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, landed on the East Anglian coast, marched west and placed the castle under siege. The great earthworks survive as a scheduled monument: a very large motte with circular stone foundations on its summit, and a rectangular bailey protected by a deep ditch and wet moat.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1175.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Haughley Castle — including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Create History
Recreate Haughley Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1175 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate this castle →Whose castle
Clans who held Haughley Castle.
The families that held Haughley Castle for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
de Montfort
Held by Hugh de Montfort, who became a monk in 1088, and passed through his family thereafter.
Nearby
