Heighley Castle
HEIGHLEY CASTLE, HEIGHLEY LANE
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1353703
- Date first listed:
- 17-Nov-1966
- List Entry Name:
- Heighley Castle
- Statutory Address:
- HEIGHLEY CASTLE, HEIGHLEY LANE
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1353703
- Date first listed:
- 17-Nov-1966
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 14-May-1985
- List Entry Name:
- Heighley Castle
- Statutory Address 1:
- HEIGHLEY CASTLE, HEIGHLEY LANE
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- HEIGHLEY CASTLE, HEIGHLEY LANE
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Staffordshire
- District:
- Newcastle-under-Lyme (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Madeley
- National Grid Reference:
- SJ 77243 46696
Details
SJ 74 NE
2/52
17/11/66
MADELEY C.P.
HEIGHLEY LANE
Heighley Castle
(formerly listed as Heighley Castle Ruins)
II
Castle, remains of. Medieval, probably mainly early C13. Only fragments of walling survive, dressed sandstone and uncoursed rubble with facing removed; traces of curtain wall all round site but best preserved on lower south end of motte platform, where there is a section of retaining wall (dressed stone) approximately 8m high by 15m long and a small fragment, perhaps the remains of a tower. Another substantial piece of walling, about 6m high and 5m long, to north-west. The main entrance seems to have been on the west, where there is a well-preserved, partly stone crevetted causeway
across the deep rock-cut ditch. What appears to be unauthorised excavation
(Summer 1984) by the curtain wall on the south-east has revealed a dressed stone wall(probably part of an entrance) with the corbelled springing of a vault. Well is marked on the Ordnance Survey map, but no trace of it now survives. Impressive earthworks; steep-sided ovalshaped motte surrounded on all sides (except south-east, where defences rely on natural slope) by deep rock-cut ditch with outer bank. The castle was begun by Henry de Audley in 1233. Spectacularly situated and commanding extensive views over surrounding countryside, the ruins are overgrown at the time of re-survey (1984). Scheduled Ancient Monument. V.C.H., I (1908),p. 352.
Listing NGR: SJ7724346696
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 362661
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Stafford, (1908), 352
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jun-2026 at 23:49:05.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.