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Norfolk: Gresham Castle and Oxnead Hall brought to 3D life

Paston Footprints Medieval Gresham CastlePaston Footprints
Gresham Castle was given to John and Margaret Paston by John's father William in the 15th Century

A medieval castle and a Stuart mansion which belonged to the same wealthy family have been recreated using 3D computer modelling.

Gresham Castle and Oxnead Hall, both in Norfolk, were owned by the Pastons, who rose from humble origins to become leading members of the aristocracy.

The recreations were based on surveys, drone footage and historical sources.

Artist James Mindham said he hoped the Gresham modelling would create renewed interest in an "undervalued site".

Paston Footprints Gresham Castle todayPaston Footprints
But their neighbour John Heydon, backed by Lord Moleyns' army, ejected Margaret from the castle in 1448 and reduced it to near rubble
Paston Footprints Gresham Castle modelPaston Footprints
She wrote a vivid account of what took place in a letter to her husband, asking for supplies to defend their other houses

The castle is now a ruin in a field south of Lower Gresham, about five miles from Cromer.

It was all but demolished during the Wars of the Roses, despite the attempts of Margaret Paston to hold it against the forces of her neighbour, John Heydon.

Although the Pastons eventually reclaimed the castle, they never rebuilt it.

Mr Mindham, who built the 3D models, said: "We assembled as much certain information as we could for both sites from archaeology, written information and observation, but ultimately these reconstructions are our idea of how these great buildings may once have looked."

Paston Footprints Oxnead garden recreationPaston Footprints
The Pastons redeveloped Oxnead Hall in the 1630s, but eventually had to sell it to cover debts and its great hall fell into ruin

Later generations of Pastons preferred to live at Oxnead Hall, near Aylsham, before they bankrupted themselves by poor management and huge debts from the English Civil War.

Its extensive gardens "were just as important as the house itself", said Mr Mindham.

The models were commissioned as part of a project to bring together the letters and documents of the Paston family.

Paston Footprints James MindhamPaston Footprints

The family left behind 1,000 letters, documents, shopping lists, leases and wills in one of the largest archives of 15th Century English private correspondence.

Previous models included the medieval community at Bromholm Priory at Bacton, where the Pastons were buried, and Paston Hall at North Walsham.

Peter Stibbons, for the Paston Footprints project, said the 3D models of the properties "further the Paston story".

Paston Footprints Oxnead recreationPaston Footprints
Oxnead Hall as it might have appeared in its early Stuart heyday
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