Hedingham

#21 & #85 Hedingham Castle
Essex, England
1100/1141
This is NOT an official Lego site

This magnificent tower was built by Aubrey de Vere III, 1st Earl of Oxford, about 1141 atop the earthwork of the previous timber fortress of his grandfather, a knight in the service of William the Conqueror, dating to about 1100. The 73 foot tall Keep was the home of the de Veres, Earls of Oxford, Lord great Chamberlains of England, for 550 years. The castle, basically an upgraded motte and bailey structure, was successfully besieged twice by by French Prince Louis and King John in the Civil War that followed Robert de Vere and other barons forcing the king to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. The castle soon reverted back to the family, however, and was held by the de Vere family until 1625, when Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, died.

It is unclear who owned Hedingham during the next 88 year, but in 1713 the castle was purchased by Sir William Ashhurst, a Whig politician and banker, who served as Lord Mayor of London from 1693 to 1694. After his death in 1720, the estate passed to his great-granddaughter, Margaret Elizabeth Kindsay, the wife of Lewis Majendie. The Majendie family owned Hedingham for the next 250 years, until Miss Musette Majendie left it to her cousin, the Honorable Thomas Lindsay, descended from the de Veres through both paternal and maternal lines. His son Jason and wife Demetra now live in Hedingham Castle. Hedingham was visited by King Henry VII, King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, and remains of great historical interest. Hedingham's ornate banqueting hall boasts a magnificent arch and a fine minstrel's gallery, and is available for weddings and other events. The interior woodwork was redone following severe fire in 1918.

Photos of the Lego Models Built October 1988 & April-May 2002 Note: The new model is over 34" tall and is architecturally as detailed as I can make it inside the forebuilding and at the Great Hall and Gallery levels, as you will see below. It is very likely the original keep had four turrets, like Rochester with whom Hedingham is frequently compared. The drawbridge may well be fanciful but the chronologically and technically similar Rochester has one. The new model utilized 15,511 Lego pieces, including 6,137 light gray 1x2 bricks, 316 1x5x4 light gray half arches, with the feast requiring 358 parts for furniture, food, musicians, guests, etc. Other specifics available upon request.

WSW View - 1988	Open View - 1988	SW View - 2002	WNW View - 2002

Slideout section of the north wall...	...reveals the Great Hall.	The banquet is ready, with fire blazing and torches lit.	The original battlemented roof has four turrets.

A guest hurries around the gallery...	...to the spiral stair in the northwest tower.	The forebuilding also opens...	...showing a cutaway of the stairs & the castle door with portcullis.

Build Your Own Lego Castle(s)

Ground Floor Plan 1988 Model	First Floor Plan 1988 Model	Second Floor Plan 1988 Model

Gallery Floor Plan 1988 Model	Third Floor Plan 1988 Model	Roof & Turret Plans 1988 Model

Ground Floor Plan 2002 Model	West Elevation 2002 Model	2nd Floor (Great Hall) Plan 2002 Model


Drawing of the motte and bailey castle	Great Hall looking north	Great Hall looking south	Minstrel's Gallery around the Great Hall


General Plan of the Castle	Ground Floor Plan	First & Second Floor Plans	Gallery Floor Plan	Third Floor Plan	Cross-section