Bickleigh Castle

Bickleigh Castle is a fortified medieval manor house on the banks of the River Exe in the village of Bickleigh, Devon, ranked among England's most significant listed structures as a Grade I building. The site traces its roots to Norman settlement and retains an 11th-century chapel — one of the oldest surviving domestic chapel structures in the West Country — alongside a residential tower that withstood the upheaval of the 17th-century English Civil War. The castle changed hands during the conflict and parts of its outer defences were dismantled, leaving the picturesque ruined outline visible today. Visitors can tour the chapel, great hall, and riverside gardens in a quietly atmospheric setting far removed from the crowds of better-known Devon attractions.