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The ruins of Kirby Muxloe Castle are the remains of an unfinished fortified manor house built by Lord Hastings between 1480 and 1484. It was intended to replace an earlier house on the same site and would, had it been completed, have been a grand and fashionable residence. Unfortunately Lord Hastings, chamberlain of England under Edward IV, was summarily executed by the future Richard III, who saw Hastings as an impediment to his ambitions, in June 1483 following the death of Edward. Some work on the house continued the following summer but the project was eventually abandoned probably for lack of funds. The structure was used as a farmyard for many years but a restoration in 1911 to 1913 re-cut the moat and a replica wooden bridge was built to give access to the castle. Today, in addition to the moat, the gatehouse and the west tower (the one part of the building that was completed) can be seen together with some remains of the former manor house; it is possible from these to get some idea of the scale and ambition of the original proposals. The site is now in the guardianship of English Heritage and is open to the public.