Photographs of Aydon Castle

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Inside the Castle
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Aydon Castle is one of the finest and most unaltered examples of a 13th century fortified manor house. It was originally built in 1296 as an undefended residence, but almost immediately fortified when, in 1305, King Edward I granted a licence to crenellate. An outer curtain wall with a plain arched gateway was added. The courtyard houses a rectangular tower and D-shaped angle tower. The two storey hall block and kitchen wing with an embattled curtain wall make an inner courtyard. The Castle was pillaged and burnt by the Scots in 1315, seized by English rebels two years later, and again occupied by Scots in 1346.
In the 1540s it was renovated and in 1654 it was converted into a farm. The building remained in use as a farm until 1966 but has been restored to its medieval appearance by English Heritage.