Latest News
MOUNTFITCHET CASTLE WILL OPEN EVERY DAY INCLUDING ALL WEEKENDS AND BANK HOLIDAYS DAY FROM SATURDAY 11TH MARCH UNTIL SUNDAY 5TH NOVEMBER 2023
Oh Deer, I think I've gone viral!!!
Everyone’s talking about Ziggy our rescue deer.
Read all about it at the links below –
Why not come along and meet the new star at Mountfitchet Castle 🌟 😊
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Baby Peacocks!!!
The peacock is the world’s largest flying bird. At night they love to perch in trees, on top of buildings or indeed anywhere off the ground. However when it comes to nest building, they choose to build their nests on the ground. They will did out a shallow indent in the ground and line it with sticks and feathers, to make it a safe haven for their eggs.
Pop along and see the babies at the Castle.
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May the force be with you!
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Fred Fosters again!!!
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The Castle Tearoom.
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New mini interactive Catapult at the Castle
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Halloween 2022
During Mountfitchet Castle’s 2021 Halloween event, the Castle was invaded by huge spiders who eventually took over the castle and made a labyrinth of webs and nests.
A spooky gift was awarded to all the young spider arachnologists who completed our Halloween trail.
Dates and theme for our 2022 Halloween event will be confirmed nearer the time
Enjoy an Interactive Experience at Mountfitchet Castle!
Come to Mountfitchet Castle and explore the castle grounds and take part in our interactive displays, jousting, archery target and crossbow, try on the helmets, handle the swords and experience life in a real Norman castle.
It's poultry in motion at Mountfitchet Castle!
During 2021 season, Mountfitchet Castle welcomed 7 new ducklings and we are proud to report that Florence and her babies are doing very well.
Summer Holidays at the Castle
Why don’t you start off your summer holidays with a marvellous medieval treat for the whole family.
We are open every day from 10.00am to 5.00pm.
No need to book – just arrive and enjoy your day.
The Mountfitchet Café, picnic area and gift shop are all on site for you to enjoy
Egg-traordinary Hen!
Why not pop along to Mountfitchet Castle this coming season to meet all of our chicks that hatched during our 2021 season. We are proud to report that all our animals and birds are free range and the mummy hens are taking great care of their babies. Even if the chicks need a lift around the castle
Elaine the Pen Hen.
We are proud to report that Elaine our peahen was the proud mum of 3 beautiful chicks which were hatched during our 2021 season. Currently at Mountfitchet Castle, we now have 7 chicks, who are growing very quickly into beautiful peacocks and peahens.
Elaine nested next to the castle visitor centre window, no one knew she was sitting on her eggs until she strutted out with her three babies on a Friday morning much to everyone’s surprise and delight!
Doting Doris!
Doris is our resident female turkey who also has been a surrogate mummy to many of our chicks at Mountfitchet Castle over the years. Doris happily hatched a baby duckling and baby peacock during our 2021 season.
They are all blissfully unaware they are all different birds and still wander happily around the castle grounds together
More Egg-citing news!
Following the arrival of Elaine’s 3 beautiful chicks hatching in 2021 we were pleased to see that we had another three new babies hatch soon after!
All of our Peachicks are growing extremely fast. Did you know peachick is the name for a baby Peafowl?!
“Peacock” is commonly used as the name for a peafowl. But in fact “peacock” is the name for the colourful male peafowl only. The females are called peahens, they are smaller and grey or brown in colour.
Spring at Mountfitchet Castle.
The castle grounds are full of life every spring, so come along this season, enjoy the wide open spaces, feed the animals, and relax in the sun.
Do you think he saurus?
Did you know as well as getting mountfitchet castle and the toy museum included in the admission price we also have a small dinosaur park with various interactive displays for all ages to enjoy
Egg-citing news!
We are so egg-cited every spring we have new chicks hatch at the Castle. Come along for an egg-tremely great day out in spring, see the chicks and feed the other animals around the Castle grounds as they are all feeling a bit peckish.
The House on the Hill Museum
The House on the Hill Toy Museum will be open at Mountfitchet Castle from 12th March 2022.
The museum contains over 80,000 items, the largest toy collection in the world with toys from the Victorian era right up to the 1990’s.
Trains, Meccano, Action Man and Sindy to Raleigh Choppers, teddy bears, annuals, games, dolls and dolls houses, Thunderbirds, Star Wars, Six Million Dollar Man, Barbie and Sindy and much more can be seen in this priceless collection
Everything is open!
After a difficult couple of years for everyone, we can announce that in March 2022 all of the attractions at Mountfitchet Castle will be open to everyone once again.
So come along for a fun day out and visit The Toy Museum, Dinosaur Park, Norman Village and Castle grounds where the tame animals love to be hand fed.
The café is open for food and drink, and we have a lovely outdoor picnic area, and access to toilets and hand washing facilities
This shelter is all mine!
This is Holly one of our rescue deer at Mountfitchet Castle, she was hiding from the spring showers in one of our new interactive additions the Norman mine which was opened in 2021.
Come along and explore the Norman mine and other new attractions at the Castle
Velociraptor Nest!
Mountfitchet Castle Staff were astonished to discover where this very brave mumma starling decided to make her nest; inside the mouth of the Velociraptor dinosaur figure that guards the entrance to the House on the Hill Museum part of the Mountfitchet Castle complex. A sign was immediately made and put near the dinosaur to ask visitors be as quiet as possible and try not to disturb her. The eggs have now hatched but one little chick tumbled out of the nest but was swiftly found unhurt and placed safely back where mumma is now busy, toing and froing, feeding her brood.
We hope the brave starling doesn’t get her feathers in a ruffle and comes back again each spring.
Doting Annie
Annie hatched three beautiful chicks in the castle brew house in 2021 we would like to take the time to say that Annie and her chicks are all doing very well and the chicks are getting very big now
Thank You!
We would like to say a really big thank you to all the hardworking staff because in 2021 after a routine annual inspection Mountfitchet castle received yet again another 5 star food hygiene and covid-19 compliance rating.
Baby Chicks at the Castle!
Come and meet the baby chicks this spring 2022. We look forward to meeting all the new arrivals in the coming months!
Our new Wishing Tree
Wishing trees have been known in various parts of the world for hundreds of years, and some even have festivals which revolve around them. Make your wishes come true with our wishing tree.
Baby Doves
Meet Derek and Dotty our baby doves who hatched on the 25th July 2021 in our maintenance shed. We can say that they are very happy in their home at Mountfitchet Castle and are growing very quickly.
Interactive Archery Display
Medieval archers were soldiers who were skilled in the use of bow and arrow. They were a very important part of both defence and attack. Try our interactive archery display to see if you have what it takes to defend the Castle!
Torture Rack
One of the most popular torture devices in medieval times was the Torture Rack – a sophisticated but rather nasty device that did rather more than just add a few inches to a persons height 😬. Come along and give our rack a try if you think you’re brave enough!
In 2021 we were also very pleased to announce the arrival of a beautiful baby white Peacock hatch at the Castle. We cannot wait to see all the new babies hatch this coming 2022 season
Well done to everyone who entered our HALLOWEEN Colouring Competition.
Our winners are:
In the 3-5 years of age category – Holly aged 5
In the 6-8 years of age category – Ethan aged 8
In the 9-13 years of age category – Olivia aged 9
Congratulations we will be emailing our winners and sending their prizes.
Well done to everyone who entered our Siege Weapon Colouring Competition.
Our winners are:
- In the 3-5 years of age category- Finley age 5
- In the 6-8 years of age category – Lilly Rumbold age 7
- In the 9-13 years of age category- Mike Chatters age 9
Congratulations we will be emailing our winners and sending their prizes.
We must give a special shout out to Charlie aged 11 months for his wonderful artwork
Famous Fred the Castle Labrador adopts more ducklings
Fred, the famous Labrador dog who lives at Mountfitchet Castle in Stansted, Essex is not ducking out of his duties as he again steps in to foster seven day-old ducklings. The mother, a Muscovy duck, had fourteen babies yesterday morning but for some reason left half of them behind in the nest when she wandered off to the nearest pond with the other half of the ducklings dutifully following along behind her.
11 year old Fred became famous last year when he fostered nine orphaned ducklings and baby sat them until they were old enough to be integrated into the safety of the medieval castle grounds with all the other animals that roam freely within the 10 acre site.
So only this morning, as soon as Fred was shown the little ducklings all huddled together, he instantly lay down around them to keep them warm much to the delight of the Castle’s owner, Jeremy Goldsmith, who breathed a huge sigh of relief when he knew that dear old Fred was willing to step in. “He took to his role like a duck to water”. Fred indicated straight away that there would be no ducking out of his duties as he settled in around them. Within minutes the ducklings accepted their odd looking new mum and were climbing all over him.
Our first chicks have hatched in plenty of time for Easter
We were so pleased to find the 14 freshly hatched Frizzle and Silkie chicks with their very proud mums this morning despite the blustery night. It didn’t seem to have bothered them at all. They will be looking forward to meeting our visitors this Easter so pop us in your diary for a visit and let the children enjoy our free Easter Egg trail.
Ghostly Happenings at Haunted Mountfitchet Castle
Latest ghostly happenings at the famously haunted Essex Medieval Castle and Norman village.
The newest resident ghost at Mountfitchet Castle in Stansted, Essex appeared again to startled ground staff late last night. Whilst on their last security check of the evening the two members of staff suddenly became aware of a huge drop in the temperature inside the Grand Hall in the inner bailey of the Norman medieval village and suddenly fleetingly saw the apparition of a hooded monk pass across a doorway and vanish behind the figure of the Baron sitting at his banquet table. The last time this ghost was seen, and captured on camera, in the very same area was back in 2010.
Mountfitchet Castle is open everyday until Sunday 11th Nov and is hoping the ghost will decide to appear again spookily in time for our fun Halloween pumpkin event which is running everyday over the half term until 4th Nov.
Antiques Road Trip & Diversity's Jordan!
The cast and crew of the Antiques Road Trip came to Mountfitchet Castle in Stansted today the 14th June to film Diversity’s Jordan Banjo and expert Philip Serrell for a scene for an episode of the popular day time show on BBC.
No ducking out of this one, its double trouble!
Once again, Mountfitchet Castle in Stansted has been blessed with another batch of not nine but eighteen freshly hatched ducklings, but Labrador Fred, the famous father of nine ducklings won’t have to worry this time as their mother is carefully looking after her brood and she proudly brought them out of their nest for the first time this morning to have a wander around the castle grounds.
Fred is still being kept busy with his brood but they are growing up fast now so he is beginning to get more well-earned rest times from the mischievous youngsters.
Nine Lives for Nine Ducklings
Fred the resident dog at Mountfitchet Castle in Stansted stepped up to the challenge when nine little ducklings became orphaned last Thursday. The ducklings’ mum had disappeared and a member of staff found them waddling around the castle grounds alone. The team were very worried about the ducklings but Fred, a 10 year old Labrador, immediately took to them and has been babysitting ever since.
The ducklings absolutely adore him and he has now resigned himself to being a stay at home dad looking after the 9 baby ducklings. They are getting very mischievous even hitching a ride on his back and following him in to the water for a swim in the castle moat.
Our recent story regarding Fred the Labrador has gone rather mad and has been featured on quite a few news websites, all over facebook, twitter and Instagram!
Check out some of the links below…
http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/dog-acts-as-mum-to-nine-ducklings-1-5527469
https://www.essexlive.news/whats-on/family-kids/gallery/fred-labrador-adopted-ducklings-1594911
https://metro.co.uk/2018/05/21/dog-becomes-stay-home-dad-ducklings-mum-waddled-7565291/