Hedingham Castle: putting the funding to work
The Historic Houses Foundation gave 18 grants to historic buildings in the Autumn under Historic England’s Heritage Stimulus Fund. What was it like to receive one?
It is one thing to inherit a historic house but another to also have an ancient monument in the garden. At Hedingham Castle in Essex, visitors find an almost perfect Norman keep standing just above a Queen Anne house. There are few places in Britain where you can stand in one spot and see how people have changed the way they live over 900 years, but at Hedingham Castle it is all laid out in front of you.
Handed on through generations
Jason and Demetra Lindsay, who can trace their lineage through 25 generations to Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford, are the owners of the Grade I castle and the Grade II* house. Aubrey de Vere, great-nephew of William the Conqueror, laid the first stones of the castle at Hedingham around 1140, since when it has survived sieges, fire and centuries of ad hoc repairs. The Lindsay family moved here in 2004 determined to find a viable business that would secure the future of the whole site. Restoration has been ongoing ever since and by early 2020 the castle hosted education visits, special events and a thriving weddings business which celebrates romance under the largest Norman arch in England.
Crisis in Lockdown
When lockdown rules were imposed in March 2020, Hedingham’s income dried up, but as Demetra Lindsay explained “Silver linings come from unexpected places” and it was through the Historic Houses Foundation that help materialised.
“The quotes for repairs to the windows and doors of the castle were already organised because we were planning to do this work anyway during 2020. We knew it was urgent because one of the window frames in the castle fell out rather dramatically, though luckily just after rather than during a wedding.” explained Demetra Lindsay. She also found herself operating under an exceptionally tight deadline. The grant aid was designed to fund projects which had been scheduled for 2020 but delayed by the Covid restrictions so only historic buildings that could complete the work by 31 March 2021 were eligible. To meet Historic England’s criteria, the work at Hedingham required both listed building and ancient monument consent, a heritage accredited architect, a detailed survey of the site and three competitive quotes rather than work with their usual contractors. It took about six weeks between the first offer of a grant from the Historic Houses Foundation in early October and the Lindsays accepting, with confidence of meeting the deadline.
Looking to the Future
The Lindsays are grateful, if not relieved, to receive the Historic Houses Foundation grant, which was agreed and quickly settled by early December so that work could get under way. “We really needed this money. It is so marvellous to get a grant which will help us diversify. The castle has changed constantly over 900 years, for a start we don’t maintain a garrison these days!”. The wedding business which was so successful for the past few years was not even conceivable 30 years ago. Now it may be time to think ahead to the next enterprise. The prospect of weathertight windows in the dormitory storey at the top of the castle is making Demetra think about providing a bedroom and running an escape room experience. Whatever transpires, Demetra knows that owning a twelfth century castle offers an opportunity to engage people and let them experience what the past is really about; what it feels like to hold a quill, wear a helmet or touch parchment. “It’s not just that we need this grant to help us pull the house and castle into the 21st century, we also want to pull people’s perceptions into the 21st century, so they see the buildings as places that are alive and always changing.”
