View from the moat of the east front at Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire — View from the moat of the east front at Tattershall Castle | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Nottinghamshire & Lincolnshire

Tattershall Castle Archaeology Walk

Explore the former home and surroundings of the Treasurer to King Henry VI and discover the hidden history of a 'landscape of lordship' told through its archaeology. The centre of Tattershall village is now a conservation area in order to preserve the special architectural and historical interest of its buildings and spaces for generations to come.

Tattershall Castle opening times

Tattershall Castle has limited opening hours, especially in autumn and winter – please check the castle's homepage before planning a special visit. This walk takes you on footpaths in the surrounding landscape and you can still reach all the route points when the castle is closed.

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Total steps: 10

Start point

Pavement near the entrance sign for Tattershall Castle, Sleaford Road, LN4 4LR

Step 1

Start your walk from the outside boundary fence of Tattershall Castle.

Tattershall Castle

A stone castle was built on this location in the 1230s by Robert de Tateshale. It was replaced in 1434 by a grand red-brick residence by Ralph, 3rd Lord Cromwell. The Great Tower still stands today. After the death of Cromwell, Tattershall Castle passed through many owners – documented in the stained-glass windows of the tower – before it went into a period of abandonment at the end of the 17th century. In 1911, George, Lord Curzon of Kedleston bought the property. He acquired the large stone fireplaces that had been sold, removed and transported to London, ready to be shipped to America; their return saw a procession through the village with the crates covered in Union flags and garlands. Lord Curzon, with the help of architect William Weir, set about an ambitious project to restore the site and make it available for the public to enjoy. On his death in 1925, Lord Curzon left Tattershall to our care. During reconstruction of the site, excavations to reinstate the moats uncovered artefacts that are now in the castle's archaeological collection. Items include pottery, carved stonework and metal objects. Several archaeological activities, geophysical surveys and excavations have taken place, with their findings reported on and added to the collection.

Step 2

Standing with the bedehouse sign in front of you and entrance gate of the castle site behind you, turn right to walk towards the church. On your left you will see the Bedehouses.

Bedehouses (Bede House Trust)

Lord Cromwell's grandmother, Maud, set up an almshouse on this spot. In 1440 Lord Cromwell founded timber-framed buildings to house 13 families. These were rebuilt in plain red brick during the early 17th century and remodelled again in the 19th and 20th centuries to house 10, with further renovations creating housing for five more occurring in the 1960s. Refurbishments in 1996 were an opportunity for archaeological exploration, which revealed structures and floors that could be from the original almshouse.

Step 3

As you continue down the path you will come to Holy Trinity Collegiate Church.

Holy Trinity Collegiate Church (Diocese)

The current church was the vision of Lord Cromwell who secured a licence to build it, along with collegiate buildings in 1439. Works didn't start until 1465–1485. The church has stained glass from the 15th century, some dated at 1482, reassembled to create a magnificent east window. The churchyard it sits within predates this, when an earlier Norman chapel stood close by. Various groundworks for maintenance and services over the years have uncovered boundary walls and one or two burials. More notably, floors and burials support the presence of the earlier chapel and associated graveyard.

Step 4

Follow the path and bear left towards the old Bowls Green (underneath the green is where the Collegiate building remains are) and continue along the path to the National Trust car park.

Collegiate building remains (National Trust)

Under the old Bowls Club are the remains of a gatehouse to Tattershall College (see Step 8). In 1967, excavations of this area uncovered brick foundations of the gateway to Tattershall College. Unfortunately, the report for the dig has not been written up and when the lands came back into our care, it was the perfect opportunity to investigate further. In 2019, ground penetrating radar (GPR), a form of geophysical survey, revealed the layout of the gatehouse buildings – they match perfectly with the only plans of the excavations that were released.

Step 5

Turn right toward the wooden five-bar gate into the overflow car park, bear right to follow the well-worn public footpath through the field. As you rise to the crest, after roughly 100 yards, you will see the Tiltyard field on your right.

Tiltyard, Tattershall Castle (National Trust)

Originating from the Inner Ward of the Castle there, would have been a bridge that led into this brick-walled enclosure, an enclosed courtyard for jousting. This space has a varied past; originally it was the most likely location for gardens and rabbit warrens, before serving as a space to practice jousting, a popular pastime for nobility. It is believed that this space then returned to gardens with a possible orchard. Geophysical surveys, test pits and trial trenching of the area over the last 25 years have shown wide, shallow pits from formal gardens contemporary to the castle, and buried walls from a walled garden shown on a map of 1842.

Step 6

Continue along the pathway towards the earthworks, which form part of the Fishponds. As you come up to the boundary of the holiday park, turn to look back over the Fishponds, Tiltyard and castle grounds.

Fishponds, Tattershall Castle (National Trust)

Here you can just make out six sub-rectangular depressions, which are the earthwork remains of medieval fishponds. These provided a fresh supply of fish like pike, bream and eels. For the rich, this was a great source of protein, especially as it was allowed during Lent and other religious festivals when eating meat was not allowed. The land owned by the Lord of the Manor would have encompassed much more than what you see as part of Tattershall Castle today. Not only the village, but Kirkstead Abbey (3 miles to the north), along with a hunting park of approximately 2,000 acres and many tenant farmers, all of which served the lord. Geophysical surveys in 2009 clearly showed the layout of the fishponds, and excavations nearer to the River Bain uncovered net weights that could have been used to catch the stock.

Step 7

Turn left and walk along the boundary of the holiday park towards the River Bain, turn left again and walk along the bank, stopping when you reach the weir. Turn left and walk until you reach a small bridge over the disused Horncastle Canal along Causeway Walk.

River Bain (Environment Agency)

The River Bain's source is near Ludford, 20 miles north of Tattershall. It passes within 250 metres of the Great Tower, before continuing a short distance to Dogdyke where it joins the River Witham. It is believed to have been navigable by boat since at least the construction of the brick castle, as the building accounts mention the transportation of various building materials including bricks, lime and sand. The medieval river would have looked very different from the one you are walking along today, as it was canalised between 1792 and 1802 by a committee led by Sir Joseph Banks, the great naturalist and botanist. Tattershall Castle holds several images of the castle that were part of a collection at Revesby Abbey, belonging to Sir Joseph Banks.

Step 8

When you reach the road, turn right to walk along Sleaford Road for approximately 70 yards and at the signpost for the Tattershall College, turn right to look at the remains of the building.

Tattershall College (Heritage Lincolnshire by agreement with English Heritage)

This is the last in the complex of buildings that Ralph, Lord Cromwell, built during his time at Tattershall, although – as with the church – building work didn't start until after his death. The trend Cromwell started – of building in red brick – seemed to continue, and the newly founded college was built in a similar style as the castle that overshadows it. The college housed several priests, clerks and choristers to pray for Cromwell and his family's souls and the grammar school to educate 'all sons of tenants of the lordship of Tattershall and of the College without charge'. This building represents the last standing remains of the college, with the gatehouse no longer being present above ground. Documentary evidence of this and similar structures describe the way the building may have been used, with the downstairs serving as stables and the first floor as the school chamber, with more decorative stone window tracery.

Step 9

After leaving, trace your steps back to Sleaford Road. In front of you, you will see the Market Place. Cross over and explore the Butter Cross.

Butter Cross, Market Place

The stone cross stands on five octagonal steps, the bottom one is modern and the top four are medieval. They're held together in places with iron clamps. It is a good example of a medieval standing cross and thought to be in its original location. The cross was constructed by Lord Cromwell, symbolising the money that lay in the village, especially as one of the largest in Lincolnshire. It is decorated with carvings of crenellations, shields and wild men, all of which can be found represented in Tattershall Castle. Excavations around the Butter Cross in 2001 uncovered a possible surround, in the form of an 18th-century wall. Many items throughout history have been found during building works, renovations and gardening in and around the buildings of the Market Place. Most notable was the discovery of a medieval 'Fools head' whistle, found during works to the Bailey Bridge (which you will pass on your way back to Tattershall Castle). It's now on display at The Collection Museum in Lincoln.

Step 10

When finished, cross back over the road, turn right and walk along Sleaford Road back to Tattershall Castle.

End point

Pavement near the entrance sign for Tattershall Castle, Sleaford Road, LN4 4LR

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Sleaford Road, Tattershall, Lincolnshire, LN4 4LR

01526342543

tattershallcastle@nationaltrust.org.uk

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Tattershall Castle opening times

Total steps: 10

Total steps: 10

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End point

Trail map