📷 Name withheld by request · CC BY-SA 4.0

Allington Castle

📍 Kent, England

3.9 ★★★½ 290 reviews

About

Allington Castle is a stone castle in Allington, Kent, just north of Maidstone, in England. The first castle on the site was an unauthorised fortification, built during "The Anarchy" (1135–1153) and torn down later in the century when royal control was reasserted. It was replaced by a manor house, which was fortified with royal permission in the 13th century. Various alterations and expansions were made by successive owners over the following two centuries. The property was developed into a fortified compound with six towers at irregular intervals along the curtain wall and domestic buildings in the interior, including one of the first long galleries built in England. In 1554 it was seized by the Crown in the course of dispossessing its owner, Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger, after the failure of his rebellion against Queen Mary.

Built in the 13th century, the castle was home to the Wyatt family from the 15th century. Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, born here c.1503, introduced the sonnet form to English poetry. His son Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger led a rebellion against Mary I in 1554. Restored in the early 20th century. Sold to the Order of Carmelites in 1951, who established a community here. Grade I listed.