Hadleigh Castle

Hadleigh Castle is a Grade I listed ruin located off Castle Lane. It was rebuilt by Edward III in the mid to late 14th century on the site of an earlier castle constructed by Hubert de Burgh in the early 13th century. The castle is made from Reigate stone, ragstone, some rubble, and tiles, with a significant amount of cockle shell used in the mortar. It is situated on a spur overlooking the Thames estuary, although many of the southern features have collapsed to a lower level.

Currently, only the foundations or bases of the curtain wall remain between the eight towers, most of which are low in height. The three western towers are square in plan, while the others are circular. To the south and east of the northwest square and circular high towers, there are foundations of kitchen buildings, a hall, a solar, and a 16th-century lead melting hearth. The Barbican is adjacent to the three-storey High Tower to the west, and there is a low-level north tower.

The northeast tower has outer walls of three storeys, featuring a plinth and a band of panelled stone and knapped flint above. It includes two small square-headed windows on the ground and first floors, with part of a similar window on the upper storey, as well as part of a flue to the inner wall. The southeast tower also has three storeys, with only the western face demolished. It has a plinth and a knapped flint band above, with three square-headed windows on each floor, which are variously spaced and show holes for bars and putlog holes.

Within the southwest wall, there is a garderobe with chutes discharging externally onto the plinth through three square-headed openings with sloped cills, and two flues to the north. The south side of the bailey has slipped downhill, but remnants of the south and southwest towers can still be identified. The wall bases of former residential buildings lie between these two towers, along with low-level remains of the west tower. The castle is of exceptional interest, being the only work of its type in the country, and there is documentary evidence of the progress of the work from 1365 to 1366.