HADDON HALL

Derbyshire

Haddon Hall, although no longer called a Castle, is a magnificent building - one of the best preserved medieval manor houses in Britain.  It's claim to being a Castle is quite genuine however...but it is rather a long story...

A house was in existence here when Richard de Vernon was given a very specific licence in 1195. The licence was to build a wall around his property but it was not to exceed 12 feet in height and was not to be crenellated.  It seems that Vernon obeyed the order, however, a later Richard Vernon (around 1370) had other plans and turned the manor house into a fortified Castle, increasing the height of the walls, building towers and a gatehouse.  Many of the buildings which exist today date from this period, although they were altered extensively in the Elizabethan period when they were - oddly - "unfortified" turning the Castle back into a Hall.

This de-fortification probably saved Haddon from any Civil War destruction, and what has passed down to us today is a very well-preserved late medieval building.

Haddon Hall is open to the public during the summer and occupies a lovely spot in the heart of the lower Peaks.

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2018