Castle Donington is a medieval market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, on the banks of the shifting river Trent. Our history begins with evidence of Neolithic activity, Romans, Saxons and Vikings. Dunintune or Dunitone is mentioned twice in the Doomsday Book of 1086, then called Castoldonyngton in a Duchy of Lancaster warrant of 1484.
Following the building of a castle in the 1150s, Castle Donington developed into a small market town. Bondgate, Borough Street, and Clapgun Street formed the nucleus of the village, with the castle at the eastern end of Borough Street. The already ruined castle was dismantled by Sir George Hastings in 1595 to rebuild Donington Hall. The current Donington Hall was built around 1790 for Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira.
In 1278 King Edward I granted a charter for a weekly market and an annual Wakes Fair. These annual celebrations proudly continue in Borough Street, and you can still visit our May Day Market and the Wakes Fair each October. Castle Donington was well-known for willow growing and basketmaking, and the craft continued into the 20th century. Through the 1800s small lace making factories and workshops flourished, with some of those buildings still standing.
Today you can wander the village’s streets to enjoy the picturesque historic houses and church, and discover the ghost of the castle through the shape of the landscape and the street names of Castle Hill and The Moat. Delve into different local stories each year, and find out more, with a visit to Castle Donington Museum.