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Castles near London
48 castles, fortresses, palaces and ruins within 100 km of the city centre — every one on the interactive map, with photos, distances and directions.
The closest is Palace of Whitehall, 1 km south-east of the city centre; the most famous is Buckingham Palace — #4 of 3,708 worldwide — 1 km south-west. The oldest dated site in the circle is Wolvesey Castle, founded 970.
Every one of them stands in England — the country page shows the full national picture.
Within 25 km of London
- Buckingham Palace
1 km south-west · Palace & château · #4 worldwide
Buckingham Palace is a royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom in London, England.
- Tower of London
4 km east · Castle · #7 worldwide
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of…
- Kensington Palace
4 km west · Palace & château · #22 worldwide
Kensington Palace is a royal residence situated within Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England.
- Hampton Court Palace
19 km south-west · Palace & château · #31 worldwide
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 12 miles southwest and upstream of central…
- St James's Palace
1 km west · Palace & château · #32 worldwide
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's…
- Palace of Whitehall
1 km south-east · Ruin · #49 worldwide
The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of…
- Lambeth Palace
1 km south-east · Palace & château · #134 worldwide
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Queen's House
9 km east · Palace & château · #193 worldwide
Queen's House is a former royal residence in the London borough of Greenwich, which presently serves as a public art gallery.
- Kew Palace
12 km west · Palace & château · #253 worldwide
Kew Palace is a British royal palace within the grounds of Kew Gardens on the banks of the River Thames.
- Palace of Placentia
9 km east · Ruin · #273 worldwide
The Palace of Placentia, also known as Greenwich Palace, was an English royal residence that was initially built by Prince Humphrey, Duke of…
- Richmond Palace
14 km west · Ruin · #314 worldwide
Richmond Palace was a Tudor royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
- Clarence House
1 km south-west · Palace & château · #315 worldwide
Clarence House is a royal residence located near The Mall in the City of Westminster.
+ 5 more in this range — every one is on the interactive map.
Day trips: 25–60 km
- Windsor Castle
33 km west · Castle · #8 worldwide
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about 25 miles west of central London.
- Hever Castle
39 km south-east · Castle · #132 worldwide
Hever Castle is located in the village of Hever, Kent, near Edenbridge, 30 miles south-east of London, England.
- Leeds Castle
60 km south-east · Castle · #148 worldwide
Leeds Castle is a castle in Kent, England, 7 miles southeast of Maidstone. It is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of…
- Rochester Castle
46 km east · Castle · #229 worldwide
Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway in Rochester, Kent, South East England.
- Upnor Castle
47 km east · Castle
Upnor Castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort located on the west bank of the River Medway in Kent.
- Berkhamsted Castle
41 km north-west · Ruin
Berkhamsted Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.
- Hertford Castle
32 km north · Castle
Hertford Castle is a Norman era castle built beside the River Lea in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, England.
- Hadleigh Castle
51 km east · Ruin
Hadleigh Castle is a ruined fortification in the English county of Essex, overlooking the Thames Estuary from south of the town of Hadleigh.
- Someries Castle
44 km north-west · Ruin
Someries Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, in the Parish of Hyde, near the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England.
Farther afield: 60–100 km
- Bodiam Castle
73 km south-east · Castle · #72 worldwide
Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England.
- Royal Pavilion
76 km south · Palace & château · #83 worldwide
The Royal Pavilion and its surrounding gardens form a Grade I listed former royal residence in Brighton, England.
- Arundel Castle
78 km south · Castle · #96 worldwide
Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England.
- Winchester Castle
97 km south-west · Castle · #364 worldwide
Winchester Castle was a royal residence in Winchester, Hampshire, England, founded in 1067 by William the Conqueror.
- Kimbolton Castle
89 km north · Castle
Kimbolton Castle is a country house in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. It was the final home of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
- Oxford Castle
83 km west · Ruin
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined medieval castle on the western side of central Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.
- Herstmonceux Castle
78 km south-east · Castle
Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built castle, dating from the 15th century, near Herstmonceux, East Sussex, England.
- Pevensey Castle
83 km south-east · Ruin
Pevensey Castle is a medieval castle and former Roman Saxon Shore fort at Pevensey in the English county of East Sussex.
- Colchester Castle
83 km north-east · Castle
Colchester Castle is a Norman castle in Colchester, Essex, England, dating from the second half of the eleventh century.
- Hedingham Castle
74 km north-east · Castle
Hedingham Castle, in the village of Castle Hedingham, Essex, is arguably the best preserved Norman keep in England.
- Donnington Castle
84 km west · Ruin
Donnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury in the English county…
- Wallingford Castle
70 km west · Ruin
Wallingford Castle is a medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire, adjacent to the River Thames.
+ 10 more in this range — every one is on the interactive map.
Distances are straight-line from the city centre. City coordinates and population: Wikidata Q84.
Frequently asked questions
How many castles are near London?
The Castlemap atlas maps 48 landmarks (17 castles · 9 palaces & châteaux · 22 ruins) within 100 km of the centre of London, measured straight-line — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks, not a count of every fortification ever built.
What is the closest castle to London?
Palace of Whitehall, a ruin 1 km south-east of the city centre.
What is the most famous castle near London?
Buckingham Palace, ranked #4 of 3,708 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking — 1 km south-west from London.
What is the oldest castle near London?
The oldest dated landmark in the circle is Wolvesey Castle, founded 970 — 96 km south-west. Earlier structures may have existed; this is the oldest with a documented founding year.
Nearby city guides: Southend-on-Sea (58 km) · Basingstoke (72 km) · Milton Keynes (73 km) · Brighton and Hove (76 km). See also medieval castles · all rankings · castles by country.