Hedingham Castle - Halstead

donna B.

This was a fantastic day out. We went on the May jousting weekend. Had the best fun in a while. The entertainment was brilliant, the jousting was highly amusing, absolutely amazing watching the kids (and dads) 😁enjoy themselves with the play swords in the arena. Incredible to listen to the history from the various staff who shared their historic knowledge and showed their personal collection of artifacts. The birds of prey was so beautiful to watch. A definite must go. Very well organised. Couldn’t fault it. And the Sun finally came out. Thank you

Irina B.

We went to Hedingham Castle over Easter for the jousting event and had a great day. The castle itself is beautiful — it actually feels like a home someone might have lived in centuries ago, not just an empty shell.

The event was really well organised: plenty of food options and loads to see and do : jousting, music, medieval battles, a falconry display, and lots of hands-on games and dances for both kids and adults. The reenactors were super friendly and happy to chat, which made it all feel very welcoming.

they’re only open to the public on certain days (check the website before you go), and although they’re part of Historic Houses, they only offer a discount, not free entry.

All in all, even though it’s rather small, definitely worth a visit, especially if there’s something on!

Andrew G.

Went to Hedingham Castle's Knights of Middle England reenactment, and it didn't disappoint. So much fun! Great displays from the falconry team, the knights, and a group of guys who organize a medieval-style battle for the kids to take part in, which is also nice for the adults to have a half-hour breather! 😉 There is also archery and axe throwing, all included—no hidden extras. Many different stallholders, food and ice cream vans, and volunteers showing how certain things were made in medieval times, be it food making, ironworking, woodworking, etc., and they have plenty of time to explain exactly what they're up to with great enthusiasm. Last but not least, you can either have a tour of the castle keep (via a volunteer) or just look around yourself, which is also included, so the day is great value for money.

Emma H.

Had an amazing time at the Stand and Deliver event day today. Lots of lovely stalls, very reasonably priced. The face painter was very talented and quick, great prices with a huge range of designs. The castle itself is lovely and fascinating to see inside, you can get a real sense if life in the castle. Food concessions were varied and of good quality and price. There was pizza, chicken tenders, burgers, pies, mini doughnuts, cake, coffee, ice cream and more. The chicken van sensibly had a children's meal deal/portion size. The birds of prey were lovely and obviously well cared for. Eden Falconry put on a good display and were knowledgeable about their birds. The storyteller was lovely.But the absolute stars of the show were Outlaw Entertainments. The highwaymen story was told over three shows, with great wit and banter. The horse riding and stunts were spectacular, it was well staged, funny and entertaining. Even better in between shows the actors were wandering around engaging with the public and especially children. We kept coming back to see the next show and part of the story and it did not disappoint. There were sword fights, gun battles, trick horse rides, chopping off of cabbage "heads" and more. I shall be keeping eye for where they will be going next to see them again. Only thing I'd change is more seating outside (and possibly under a marquee).

mick W.

a little gem of a place to visit for general interest or better still on days they have some stunning shows in the shadow of the keep, there highwayman, jousting and along with that falconry displays bands and all manner if great things to make for a great day out. yes I sound like an advert but ist genuinely a cool well run, friendly and lovely place to visit 😎😎

Dan C.

We could not speak more highly of Hedingham as a wedding venue. Whilst the keep, the house, the gardens all speak for themselves, what really sets Hedingham apart is the excellence of the planning team.

From day 1, Sarah was exceptional, working with us both to understand what we hoped to achieve, and finding solutions with calm reassurance - we never felt like there were any obstacles that couldn’t be overcome.

During the wedding weekend, Jackie and Debbie were the perfect balance of attentive and discrete, helping guide along both the hog roast on Friday night, and the main wedding on Saturday. The wider staff were excellent, working tirelessly to keep guests fed and watered.

Andy’s guided tour of the Keep was informative and fun, engaging both the children and the adults, would definitely recommend (probably better on the Friday with the smaller number of guests).

Overall, a phenomenal experience that elevated our special day beyond what we could even have hoped, thank you to everyone involved!!

Simply W.

Nice place to visit. Grounds are beautiful to walk around and the castle is fascinating.

Ian P.

An excellent day out at this amazing castle in Suffolk, highly recommended A+++
The day was fun packed with jousting, birds of prey display, archery, axe throwing to name a few. Loads of stalls selling all kinds of food with stalls depicting the time period of the castle like for example what they would of eaten in that time and you could try different foods, black smithing, traditional herbs used for health ailments, weapon stalls showing all kinds of weapons used in that time period, singing, people playing authentic instruments to loads of games and fun activities and of course the castle was absolutely magnificent and stunning inside and out, probably one of the best preserved castles I've seen. A really good day out perfect for kids and adults alike. The castle grounds were beautiful and there were plenty of walks to see the gardens and beautiful lake. Loads of parking and all the staff were very welcoming and friendly. Can't rate this place highly enough.

Ian & Sarah partner 2024

we used hedingham Castle for our wedding venue on 09/11/2024 and the castle which is a norman keep is the most spectacular and gorgeous historic site you will ever visit, the castle dates back to the 11th century and is a perfect setting for a fairy tale wedding and it's just so magical and perfect. The castle is just stunning, the grounds are beautiful and the manor owned by demetra & Jason Lindsay are original descendants of the de veres family are the most friendly people and always there to greet you and make you feel special leading up to and on the day of our wedding and also the manor is also very beautiful. Sarah the wedding organizer was friendly and very helpful & professional overseeing our whole wedding and making sure we got what we asked for on our special day. Jackie and all the staff at the wedding on our day made the day run like clockwork always reassuring us and making sure everything was going according to plan, the day was perfect and couldn't of run how it did without Jackie, she was super nice, friendly and just made us both feel at ease so we didn't have to worry about anything what so ever on the day. To anyone who worries about how the day is going to go, do not worry Jackie and her team are so professional and the day went like a dream. The ceremony was a beautiful hall that was just perfect in every way, the wedding breakfast area was exceptional and looked stunning in every way & the reception area was just as equally gorgeous looking. The day was perfect in every way and we couldn't of asked for more.
perfect venue
loads of history
excellent organization
friendly staff
beautiful Castle & ground
was a fairy tale wedding and exceeded our expectations
highly recommended A+++++++
Do not hesitate to book this beautiful historic castle and have the most memorable and magical wedding of your dreams
Thank you so much to everyone.