Essex's Hedingham Castle awarded £117,000 for urgent repairs

A Norman castle has been given £117,000 to help with its conservation.

Hedingham Castle in Essex, first built in 1140, received the grant from the Historic Houses Foundation for repairs to its masonry and Tudor bridge.

The foundation gives grants to properties where revenue loss during the pandemic has affected their ability to maintain buildings.

Owner, Demetra Lindsay, said it would "turn the devastation of Covid" to "a positive silver lining for history".

The fortification, in the village of Castle Hedingham near Braintree, was built by Aubrey de Vere whose father arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066.

Queen Matilda, wife of King Stephen (who reigned 1135-1154), died there in 1152.

The foundation made the award from a £2.1m Heritage Stimulus Fund programme it manages for Historic England, which aims to support heritage properties which have experienced falls in income during the pandemic.

It said the fund would "allow essential masonry repairs to the castle keep and to the flintwork Tudor bridge" that crosses its moat.

Current owners, Jason and Demetra Lindsay, said they were "so grateful" for the grant which would help them with "urgent repairs".

"The foundations of the lost Tudor Great Tower will also be recorded, interpreted and saved," Ms Lindsay said.

"Since the Tower contained the chambers where three Tudor monarchs, Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, stayed, the work is of huge value to this site and the history of Essex.

"It is also of significant heritage importance that our team of specialist workmen are here and training new masons to pass down the skills required to continue to protect these buildings for visitors.

"We have been able to turn the devastation of Covid on our business into a positive silver lining for history."

A castle spokeswoman confirmed that an initial analysis of the Tudor castle foundations took place this week to prepare for a preservation programme that would "consolidate the remaining brickwork" and stop further erosion and collapse.

The work was due to take place over winter before the start of the new tourist season in the spring.

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