English Heritage: Baconsthorpe Castle

room 5 ECHOES

Location: Holt, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom

For help using the Echoes App, please visit vtsw.uk/echoes

The extensive ruins of Baconsthorpe Castle, a moated and fortified 15th century manor house, are a testament to the rise and fall of a prominent Norfolk family. Over 200 years, successive generations of the ambitious Heydons family, built, then enlarged and finally abandoned this castle.

Sir John Heydon probably built the strong inner gatehouse during the turbulent Wars of the Roses period, and his son Sir Henry, whose memorial can be seen in Baconsthorpe Church, completed the fortified house.

In more peaceful times, their descendants converted part of the property into a textile factory, and then added the turreted Elizabethan outer gateway, inhabited until 1920.

If you like this, please let your Twitter / X followers know about it: vtsw.uk/sw/ehbc/x


vtsw.uk
vtsw.uk

DOWNLOAD OUR APP TO DISCOVER THIS TOUR AND MANY OTHERS.

play-storeapp-store

The Echoes


01 Introduction

The site of Baconsthorpe was acquired from the Bacon family in the early 15th century by William Bax…

02 The Inner Gate House

The earliest castle building, the inner gatehouse, was begun by William’s son, John (d.1479), a lawy…

03 The Inner Courtyard

John’s son, Sir Henry Heydon (d.1504), completed and extended the castle, adding the garden court in…

04 Inner Courtyard Building

The inner castle was divided into two courts: the service court and the main house. The service cour…

05 The Outer Gate House

Although most of the castle was demolished in the 17th century as the Heydons tried to pay off their…

Discover more geolocated content in our apps.
play-storeapple-app-store

Or start creating tours, treasure hunts, POI maps... Just let your imagination guide you.


Other walks nearby

Holkham Hall

Holkham Hall

PLEASE NOTE: This is just a sample to show the Holkham team an example of what we could do for them. For help using the Echoes App, please visit vtsw.uk/echoes Thomas Coke, the first Earl of Leicester, conceived this Palladian Hall as his vision of an Italian villa on the windswept north Norfolk coast. The family has lived in this house continuously since the 1750s, though at Holkham since 1612. They take great pride and joy in sharing the house and its treasures, the deer park and Holkham beach, with visitors. Holkham is still privately owned and is the centre of a thriving 25,000 acre agricultural estate which provides resources both to maintain the house, and to ensure that the social fabric of rural life remains intact. However, Holkham has not stood still and has worked hard to move with the times. In recent years, enterprises have expanded to include a holiday park, several shops, property development and an internationally acclaimed inn. If you like this, please let your Twitter / X followers know about it: vtsw.uk/sw/hhn/x
free
North Norfolk Coast History

North Norfolk Coast History

For help using the Echoes App, please visit vtsw.uk/echoes This isn't 'a walk' as such, it's more a collection of interesting places in North Norfolk. Some are close to each other, but generally they tend to be quite far apart. You could walk between them, but it would take you a while! If you like this, please let your Twitter / X followers know about it: vtsw.uk/sw/nnch/x
free
Castle Curators: Out of the Castle & Into the City!

Castle Curators: Out of the Castle & Into the City!

The Castle Curators are a group of young people who, as part of the Royal Palace Reborn project, worked with Kick the Dust (KTD) Project Worker Rachel Daniel and Keep Project Curator Andrew Ferrara from October 2020 to design one of the new display cases for Norwich Castle Keep. At the start of January 2023, Andrew Ferrara & KTD Project Worker Amelia Long reached out to the group to see if they would like to build upon the work they had already done and create audio recordings about their chosen objects. Kendra & Ellie have both made recordings which have been linked to specific city locations that connect to their objects. We hope that you enjoy listening to their object's stories - taken out of the castle & into the city!
free
Prophecies

Prophecies

Prophecies is an audio work about the future created by Artist Maddie Exton. Maddie has interviewed Jane Hedges (the Very Reverend of Norwich Cathedral), Penny Francis (a psychic medium), Vonnie Spooner (a spirit guide) and a group of 7 year olds from Earl Soham Primary School to ask them what the future looks like. Harnessing a range of voices, Prophecies will invite listeners into a moment of intimacy with each speaker and open a space for reconnecting with dreaming. The past year has plunged many into survival mode and Prophecies pushes us to be curious again. Religious spaces are a place people often look to for answers and hope, and as such, being set in the Cathedral grounds, the short trail can act like a modern pilgrimage. “In crises, we pray. Our engagement with religion continues to change, and I wondered how God can act as guidance in the modern world. In the dark days of post ww1 Britain, spiritualism became so popular it almost overtook the Anglican Church, and that same thirst for spiritual comfort has been mirrored during covid. I spoke to a spirit guide and a medium to see what messages and spiritual lessons we can take forward. Working with a group of children from Earl Soham Primary School, it was refreshing and surprising to see what the young think the world will look like in 25 years, allowing the content to be both playful and poignant, two things I always strive for.”
free
Queer Norfolk Stories

Queer Norfolk Stories

Norwich is a city of strangers. The YNA Collective want to unveil a city that is quite literally built on diversity and community by creating a unique audio tour of the city. 'Queer Norfolk Stories'is a Young Norfolk Arts project that celebrates the wonderful, extraordinary lives of local LGBTQ+ people, created by Sára Lapinova and Ellie Robson. We would like to say thanks to all those involved in helping to make this happen, including Deb, Nell, Tiah-Paige, Stevie and Shell, Sára and finally E.
free
1942: Messages from the Norwich Raids

1942: Messages from the Norwich Raids

When Norwich was bombed: our city's untold stories from the WWII Baedeker Raids. To fully enjoy the experience, please walk slowly to allow time for the recording to finish before you leave the zone.
free
Sound Systems

Sound Systems

Sound Systems explores our very own individual theme tunes; the songs our nervous systems crave and sing. Produced by Roxanne Matthews and the BBC Voices team. You can discover the Young Norfolk Arts Collective’s own Sound Systems throughout Norfolk as part of the trail.
free
The Existing Rows of Great Yarmouth

The Existing Rows of Great Yarmouth

In 1260, Henry the Third gave permission to the town to enclose itself with a wall. The walls not only kept the invader out, but determined the size and shape of the town for many centuries as no one was permitted to live outside of the walls. By building in parallel lines, more space could be better utilized, and so around 150 Yarmouth rows were built. Not all the rows built in this time period have survived to this day. Factors such as bomb damage during World War One and World War Two, fires, and new buildings such as factories and new roads have meant that large portions do not exist. This trail map marks each row that still exists. It is advisable to start at Row 2, and work south, however if you do not have enough time to complete a full circuit, we recommend starting at Row 44 as many of the Rows from this one onwards are close together and easy to find. Created by the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust Rows Project. Funded through Making Waves Together – National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and East Suffolk Council. Trail map created by Catherine Allen, using predominantly sources from Colin Tookes book, The Rows of Great Yarmouth, and Yarmouth is an Antient Town by A. A. C. Hedges.
free
The Venetian Waterways

The Venetian Waterways

An audio tour of the historic Venetian Waterways, Ornamental Gardens & Boating Lake. Brought to you by Ian (Head Gardener).
free
MANIFESTO*

MANIFESTO*

Visit the 15 MANIFESTO* soundscapes around King's Lynn (see map below) to experience the history and ecology of the town in sound. Download or stream to enjoy this site-specific audio artwork. When you are in the centre of King’s Lynn, anywhere between the River Great Ouse, The Walks Park, The Train Station and the Docks, press START WALK to activate. You can expereince the soundscapes in any order. As you enter different areas, or zones, the Echoes App will play a sound-file based on the historical and ecological significance of that area. Note: streaming may inccur data charges, depending on your tariff. MANIFESTO* is an arts-led, climate futures project, made by young people for the town of King's Lynn https://www.collusion.org.uk/projects/manifesto/
free

Are you a creator?

START HERE

Privacy & cookie policy / Terms and conditions

© ECHOES. All rights reserved / ECHOES.XYZ Limited is a company registered in England and Wales, Registered office at Merston Common Cottage, Merston, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 1BE

v2.4.30 © ECHOES. All rights reserved.