| Buckden Towers | |
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| Cambridgeshire, England | |
Entrance to Buckden Towers |
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Shown within Cambridgeshire
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| Type | Fortified manor house |
| Coordinates | grid reference TL192677 |
| Current condition |
Used as a Christian retreat |
| Open to the public |
Grounds open regularly |
Buckden Towers, formerly known as Buckden Palace, is a 12th-century fortified manor house, located on High Street, Buckden, Cambridgeshire, England.
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Although it is often stated as being built in the 15th century, it was actually built in the late 12th century, when records show it as being used to house the Bishops of Lincoln. The tall brick tower was added in 1475, protected by walls and a moat, and surrounded by an outer bailey. It was used by the bishops until 1842.
Since 1947, Buckden Towers has been used as a Christian Retreat and Conference Centre run by the Claretian Missionaries, together with the Catholic Parish Church of St. Hugh of Lincoln, which stands on the site of the great chamber of the medieval palace. The grounds to the towers are open to visitors regularly.[1] It is a scheduled monument and a Grade I listed building.[2]
Little now remains of the bishops' moated palace except the great tower, the inner gatehouse, part of the battlemented wall, which used to surround the inner court within the moat, and the outer gate and wall. On 16 July 1551, Henry, Duke of Suffolk and his brother Lord Charles died here from the sweating sickness. They had come to Buckden to avoid the sickness at Cambridge.[3]
The antiquary Edward John Rudge published a history, Illustrated and Historical Account of Buckden Palace, in 1839.[4]