Stable Block at Hedingham Castle

Stable block built in the C18.

MATERIALS: red brick laid in Flemish bond which shows evidence of considerable repair and red tile roof covering.

PLAN: the stable block has a long rectangular plan and is located in the north-west corner of the outer bailey, to the north-west of the house. The lower part of the rear (west) wall is the retaining wall to the dry moat where the tennis court associated with the Tudor castle was located.

EXTERIOR: the two-storey building has a shallow hipped roof. The first-floor of the principal east elevation is lit by six small windows which have centre glazing bars and gauged brick arches, as do most of the windows. Between the first two pairs of windows there are two loft doors above the ground-floor doors. The ground floor has, from the left, a small window, a wide timber door which is a later insertion as it has a lunette for a narrower opening above, and three windows. These are followed by two vertical plank doors with lunettes above, and a lunette in between, then a wide double-leaf vertical plank door inserted in the C20. The brickwork in this last bay is also C20 in date. The south gable end has a small window and a bricked up lunette, and two bricked up windows above. There is a small single-storey C20 brick extension on the north gable end. The rear wall is blind. The lower courses may be constructed of brick dating to at least the early C17.

INTERIOR: this is divided into three main rooms and retains panelling, stall holders and iron mangers.