Duffield Castle

In 1266 King Henry III destroyed one of England’s largest medieval castles. Today, all that remains of Duffield Castle are the foundations, the view and its stories.

The tiny 1 hectare site, nestled within the village of Duffield, Derbyshire is now bounded on all sides by housing and roads, but it is still a place to enjoy, relax in and soak up the history.  

We recently resumed management of the site and have improved the steps leading up the steep entrance slope. This year we will be providing more on-site information about this fascinating place. We will also be undertaking an archaeological dig to better understand what the original footprint of the castle would have been. The stones that are currently above ground were placed there by Victorian antiquarians, when the castle was ‘rediscovered’ in 1886, and they missed key parts of the castle – like the fore building.

In time we hope to raise funds to rebuild the walls to show a true outline of what was possibly England’s third largest medieval keep.