Ashby de la Zouch Castle Ashby de la Zouch Castle is in the town of Ashby - de - la - Zouch , Leicestershire , England ( ) . The ruins have been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building , and they are a Scheduled Ancient Monument . It is managed by English Heritage . History . Origins . The site originated as a Norman fortified manor house in the 12th century founded by Alain de Parrhoet , la Zouch , out of Breton , France . During the next three centuries it was extended by his descendants , but when the Zouch succession line ended in the 14th century , the castle changed ownership many times . In 1461 , the castle reverted to the Crown after the then owner James Butler , the 5th Earl of Ormonde , was executed after the Battle of Towton . The castle remained within the Crown ' s hands for a few years until Edward IV bestowed it upon William , Lord Hastings . William was awarded a licence to crenellate in 1474 and quickly started major works to extend and improve the castle . The licence also granted him the rights to empark of surrounding land . The principal building of this time was the Hastings Tower which was high . It is rectangular in shape measuring about by with walls nearly thick on the ground floor . The tower principal had four grand floors with an extension on the northeast side having seven floors . The tower and kitchens had their own well . There was also a Great Hall and other grand rooms for entertainment sited to the north of the main tower . A visitor in 1644 described rich stained glass windows , depicting coats of arms . William ' s descendants added to the castle and grounds , including grand landscaped parks and gardens . A Chapel was built by William on the northeast corner of the castle and was originally lavishly appointed and richly decorated , but was stripped bare during the reformation at some time in the 16th century when the Hastings family converted to Protestantism . Surviving artworks from the former period include for an altarpiece , " The Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors " , or " the Donne Triptych " as painted by Hans Memling in circa 1478 . It depicts Lord Hastings ' sister , Elizabeth , and her husband Sir John Donne to either side of a central Virgin Mary and Christ child . The chapel is still in use as a family burial place today , with recent interments including those of Barbara Abney - Hastings ( 1919 - 2002 ) , Peter Abney - Hastings ( 1924 - 2002 ) , and their daughter Mary Flowers ( née Mary Joy Abney - Hastings ) ( 1957 – 97 ) . The castle has been host to many royal visitors , including Henry VII , James I in 1603 , and Charles I in 1645 . Mary , Queen of Scots was detained there for a while in 1569 , under the custody of the Earl of Huntingdon , Henry Hastings , and the Earl of Shrewsbury , George Talbot . English Civil War . The castle was a Royalist stronghold during the Civil War . Although the then heir to Ashby castle , Ferdinando Hastings , the 6th Earl of Huntingdon , was outwardly neutral during the English Civil War , other members of the family , most notably his brother Henry Hastings , were ardent Royalist s . As such Ashby became a vital link between the Royalist southwest and the north – particularly as much of the rest of Leicestershire supported the Parliamentary cause . In 1643 Henry Hastings provided many additional fortifications to the castle , and he may also have created the tunnels which linked various buildings and parts of the castle . He was made High Sheriff of Leicestershire by the King and became engaged in various skirmishes between the opposing forces , seeing action at the Battle of Hopton Heath , fighting a small battle at Cotes Bridge near Loughborough and later losing an eye to a pistol shot after an exchange near Bagworth , all in 1643 . Later that year , his forces captured and lost the town of Burton upon Trent . However , as the war progressed and Royalist fortunes waned , Ashby — already the target of action in 1644 — was subject to a prolonged siege between September 1645 and its surrender in March 1646 . Hastings , ennobled as the first Baron Loughborough on 23 October 1643 , for his services to Charles I , marched out with the honours of war . The surrender terms however demanded that the Castle be slighted ( demolished ) , with the remaining Hastings family moving to Donington Hall near Derby . The outer fortifications were immediately levelled , but the main castle buildings and towers survived until about 1648 , at which point they were largely destroyed by the Parliamentary forces . Post Civil War . The Great Hall was rebuilt and adapted sometime between the 14th and 17th centuries . A 1730 engraving by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck shows the hall re - roofed and re - glazed , obviously repaired after the Civil War , but by the time of the 19th century it had fallen into ruin . The castle became a famous ruin after the publication of Sir Walter Scott ’ s 1819 novel " Ivanhoe " , the success of which meant that the castle soon became a popular tourist destination . Today . The castle is a popular tourist attraction , managed by English Heritage . The ruins have for the large part been stabilised from further deterioration , and the grounds are all laid to grass . It is possible to climb to the top of the Hastings tower ( there are 98 steps ) , and to explore the underground passage from the kitchen basements to the Hastings tower , which was probably created during the Civil War .