Robert de Tattershall built a stone castle or fortified manor here in 1231. Ralph Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell and Treasurer of England, largely rebuilt it in brick. Tree-ring dating points to construction between 1406 and 1431. About 700,000 bricks were used, though stone was available nearby. The article quotes a source calling it the finest medieval brickwork in England.
The Great Tower is 130 feet (40 m) high and has four floors and four corner turrets. Its Gothic fireplaces have decorated chimney pieces.
In 1910 an American buyer removed the fireplaces for shipping. Lord Curzon bought the castle, recovered them and restored it from 1911 to 1914. He left it to the National Trust in 1925. It is listed on the National Heritage List for England.
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