Telephone: 01480 810344
Website: https://www.buckden-towers.org.uk/
Owned by: Claretian Missionary
Buckden Palace, also known as Buckden Towers, was originally built in the 13th century for the Bishops of Lincoln, for whom it was a stopping point on their regular journeys between London and Lincolnshire. The original buildings were entirely replaced by brick constructions when Thomas Rotherham became Bishop of Lincoln in 1472. Buckden’s great tower is a true tower house, based on the Tattersall Castle Tower, and Katherine of Aragon was held here after her divorce from Henry VIII.
The site was protected by a curtain wall and moat. Within the substantial courtyard and outer yard, comfortable accommodation and facilities, including a chapel, a churchyard, an orchard and a park, were provided for the bishops and their entourages. Buckden Palace reflects the status of the bishops while retaining, if sometimes superficially, the defensive aspects of a medieval castle.
All that remains of the original moated palace are the great tower (built in 1475), the inner gatehouse and part of a battlemented wall. The rest of the complex is a much newer 19th century house, now used as a Christian conference centre. However, the grounds of the tower are regularly open to visitors.
