Eye Castle

Eye Castle in Suffolk represents one of only two castles recorded in William the Conqueror's Domesday Book of 1086, testimony to its strategic importance in medieval East Anglia. Built shortly after the Norman Conquest by William Malet, who received the vast Honour of Eye comprising around 75,000 acres across six counties, the motte-and-bailey castle became a centre of power and commerce, with a market held within its grounds generating considerable income. Throughout the 11th and 13th centuries, ownership passed through notable hands including Kings Stephen I and Henry II. Though sacked and largely destroyed in 1265, the ruins remain accessible to visitors, with free entry available daily during spring and autumn months and weekends during winter, weather permitting.