Wisbech Castle and Vaults

The Castle at Wisbech occupies a site with a documented history stretching back to a stone fortification built for William I in 1072, later rebuilt as a residence for the Bishops of Ely. The medieval and Tudor structures were demolished, and in 1656 a mansion designed by Peter Mills was built there for John Thurloe, Oliver Cromwell's Secretary of State. That mansion was in turn demolished in 1815, and the present Regency villa was built in 1816 by Joseph Medworth, reusing material from its predecessor. The building, known today as The Castle, is recorded on the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* listed building, a designation made in October 1983.