Kimbolton Castle

Kimbolton Castle is a country house in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. It was the final home of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of the Earls and Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950. It now houses Kimbolton School.

History

The castle was built by Geoffrey Fitz Peter, 1st Earl of Essex, in the late 12th century.¹ The inner court was rebuilt by Anne, Duchess of Buckingham, in the late 15th century.¹

The castle was acquired by Sir Richard Wingfield in 1522. Upon his death in 1525, it was inherited by his eldest son, Charles.¹ The Wingfield family reconstructed the medieval castle as a Tudor manor house, parts of which survive to the present day. Catherine of Aragon was sent here in April 1534 for refusing to give up her status or deny the validity of her marriage.¹ In July 1534, a fool in the retinue of the diplomat Eustache Chapuys tried to swim the moat, drawing attention to her imprisonment.² The fenland climate damaged her health, and she died in the castle on 7 January 1536.³⁴

The castle was bought by Sir in 1600 and was later purchased by , later created 1st Earl of Manchester, in 1615. , who was created 1st in 1719, had many works of reconstruction carried out between 1690 and 1720. These works included the rebuilding of the south wing, which had fallen down, to a design by Sir who was assisted by another great architect of the time, . During 1690 and 1695 the castle courtyard was remodelled and is attributed on stylistic grounds to Henry Bell (1647–1711) who refronted the Tudor courtyard and introduced galleries and the main staircase. commissioned to design the gatehouse, which was constructed in 1766.