HEDINGHAM Castle has been commended for the work put into restoring its Norman Keep in a national award.

Work has been commended in this year’s Historic Houses Association (HHA) Restoration award, sponsored by Sotheby’s.

The award recognises and celebrates the work being undertaken by members of the HHA across the UK to bring life back to some of the country’s most historic buildings.

Income which has been generated from the use of the castle as a wedding venue, event and education space over the last 15 years has been used to pay for the extensive programme of restoration which began in 2013 and finished in February of this year.

Major improvements have been made to the Tapestry Room, which has been reconfigured into a large accessible event space, and other work includes the Garrison being renovated and new lighting being installed in the Minstrel’s Gallery.

Structural improvements have also been made to the castle’s roof and exterior.

Richard Compton, president of the Historic Houses Association said: “Once again we received a wide range of brilliant applications for this year’s Restoration Award, reflecting the hard work undertaken by our members and their commitment to preserving Britain’s heritage.

"The vast amount of work undertaken at Hedingham is hugely impressive.”

This year’s winning project was Combermere Abbey in Shropshire.