County guide · The Castle Rolls
Best castles in Lincolnshire
4 castles in Lincolnshire, led by Lincoln Castle, which displays one of the four surviving 1215 copies of Magna Carta beside the 1217 Charter of the Forest. At Tattershall, Ralph Cromwell, Lord Treasurer of England, raised a great tower in brick from the 1430s, and the National Trust has cared for it since 1925. Bolingbroke, where the future Henry IV was born in 1367, is the only one that's free to enter: the ruin belongs to English Heritage, is managed by Heritage Lincolnshire and stays open in daylight hours. Grimsthorpe puts a baroque north front by Sir John Vanbrugh on a much older castle, and lets the Summer Folly on its estate as a self-catering stay.
Map
Every castle on this list - 4 in total, 1 free to enter, 1 you can stay overnight in
Lincoln Castle
Lincolnshire
Magna Carta; wall walk; Victorian prison
Tattershall Castle
Lincolnshire
Restored 15th-century brick great tower
Grimsthorpe Castle
Lincolnshire
Vanbrugh front on medieval-origin castle
Bolingbroke Castle
Lincolnshire Free entry
Henry IV's birthplace; managed by Heritage Lincolnshire
Common questions
How many castles are there in Lincolnshire?
This roll lists 4 visitable castles, fortresses and tower houses in Lincolnshire. Of those, 1 is free to enter and 3 charge admission.
Which castles in Lincolnshire are free to visit?
Bolingbroke Castle is the one open-access castle in Lincolnshire with no admission charge.
What is the best-rated castle in Lincolnshire?
Grimsthorpe Castle carries the strongest public rating of any castle in Lincolnshire on this roll - 4.7/5 from 1,114 Google reviews.
Can you stay overnight in a castle in Lincolnshire?
Yes - Grimsthorpe Castle offers overnight stays: the Summer Folly, a self-catering let on the estate (the shepherd huts are day hire only).
Can you reach any castle in Lincolnshire by train?
One of the 4, Lincoln Castle, sits within 1.5 miles of a railway station (Lincoln Central, 0.6 miles). That's a straight-line distance from the station to the castle, so the walk on the ground is longer than the figure.