Kirby Muxloe Castle

Kirby Muxloe Castle or known only as Kirby Castle is an intriguing medieval brick building, situated in a beautiful area of an English village which shares the same name. The red facade of Kirby has a sharp contrast to the surrounding green landscapes in the English county of Leicestershire. The castle is located just 4 miles away from [Leicester.

Today the ruins of Kirby are one of the most sentimental and emotionally intense historical monuments in England. The construction of this fortress is rather characterized as a fortified manor house rather than a castle. The construction began in 1480 by William Hastings - 1st Baron Hastings. The brilliant and innovative idea of Kirby remains unfinished after Hastings was executed by King Richard III in 1483.

Kirby Muxloe Castle is unique, mainly because of the red bricks and building materials from which it was erected. Kirby remains one of the earliest palace complexes in England, which were built on the principle of masonry. However, it is one of the last built on the model of a rectangular tower house.

The original drawings of the castle Kirby are the work of the master bricklayer - John Cowper. He wanted to design a square tower house with four smaller towers at each corner, surrounded by a firewall, which would also be locked between four watchtowers at each corner.

Today, the remains from the medieval structure of the Kirby Muxloe Castle are in the main portal of the west tower along with the impressive surrounding moat. The interior of Kirby has managed to maintain some parts of the original carvings, which are indicative of the time the mansion was made so as to meet the social status of its owner.