Herstmonceux Castle History

Herstmonceux was a significant place long before the Castle was built and there is evidence of Roman remains in the area. In the 12th Century the Saxon 'Lady of the Manor', Idonea de Herst, married a Norman nobleman, Ingelgram de Monceux, to give the place its name.

Sir Roger Fiennes, Treasurer of the Household of Henry VI, started building the Castle in 1441; this was one of the first major brick buildings in England and was years ahead of its time in other respects, with concentration more on grandeur and comfort than on defence.

By the end of the century the then owner, Robert Hare, demolished most of the Castle and used the bricks to build Herstmonceux Place further up the hill.

The Castle remained a ruin until 1911 when it was bought by Lt. Col. Claude Lowther who used local craftsmen to carry out the building work and by 1912 most of the south front was rebuilt. In 1932 the Castle was purchased by Sir Paul Latharn who completed the restoration. In 1946 the Admiralty bought the estate for the Royal Greenwich Observatory and it became an important scientific institution for the next 40 years. The Greenwich Observatory moved to Cambridge in 1988, and the Castle remained empty until purchased by Queen's University (Canada) in 1993 with funds provided by the Doctors Bader.