Hedingham Castle was built by the de Veres, with Aubrey de Vere I credited with the early castle, and the keep was likely built under Aubrey II or Aubrey III around 1140. The article calls it arguably the best preserved Norman keep in England. The keep is nearly square, about 53 by 58 feet (16 by 18 meters), and over 70 feet (21 meters) tall. Its walls are about 11 feet (3.4 meters) thick at the base, in flint rubble faced with ashlar from Barnack. It has five floors, including the Great Hall.
Matilda, wife of King Stephen, died at the castle in 1152. It was besieged in 1216 and 1217. Sir William Ashhurst commissioned a Queen Anne-style mansion around 1700.
It is still a family home for the Lindsay family. The keep is open from Easter to October, and it is Grade I listed.
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