Remains of fortified manor house. Late C14, for Michael de la Pole, who was granted licence to crenellate in 1384. An irregular rectangle on plan, surrounded by a moat. Only the south curtain wall is intact, with a fine gatehouse, not quite central, and polygonal corner bastions. Flint rubble with stone dressings. Red brick embattlements, mostly rebuilt. Below the parapet a string course with gargoyles. Lancet and loop windows to ground floor, 2-light Decorated-style windows above. Gatehouse has 3-storey polygonal corner towers with flushwork panelling at the base. Outer entrance has moulded segmental pointed arch, dying into the imposts. Moulded inner arch with original gates and wicket gate. In the jambs are square panels with the Wingfield and de la Pole arms and a portcullis groove. To courtyard a 4- centred arch. Inside the gateway 4 doorways with 2-centred arches. Evidence for vaulted roof. First-floor guardroom has original fireplace with stone buttresses terminating in corbels carved as human heads. 2-storey curtain walls; on the inner side there are several fireplaces and a piscina where living rooms and the chapel once stood. Foundations of the missing curtain walls and bastions can be traced. The present house dates from the mid C16 and was built into the remains of the western curtain wall. It is part stone-built and partly timber framed.

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Name	Wingfield Castle
Alternative Names
Historic County	Suffolk
Civil Parish	Wingfield
Type	Masonry Castle Fortified Manor House
Confidence	Certain
Remains	Major
Listed	Grade 1
Scheduled Ancient Monument	No
Ordnance Survey Reference	TM222772
Eastings	622210
Northing	277240
Images of England Reference	280114
PastScape Reference	390625
Historic Environment Record

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Books

• Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p88
• Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p160
• Martin, Edward, 1999 [3edn], 'Medieval Castles' in Dymond, David and Martin, Edward (eds) An Historical Atlas of Suffolk (Lavenham) p58-9
• Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p238
• King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p459
• Pevsner, N., 1961, The Buildings of England: Suffolk (London, Penguin) p457
• Aldwell, S.W.H., 1926, Wingfield: Its Church, Castle and College [republished 1995] p7-34
• Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
• Wall, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Suffolk Vol1 p320, 622
• Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p286-7
• Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p174-6
• Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p298, 419
• Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p276

Antiquarian

• William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#suff13]

Journals

• Coulson, C., 1994, 'Freedom to Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision' Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol38 p111
• 1913, County Life Vol33 p952-8
• Manning, C.R., 1889, 'Wingfield Castle. (8 Jun 1888)' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol7 pt1 xxxiii

Primary Sources

• Calendar of Patent Rolls (1381-85) p555