Moated sites are as the name suggests – wide ditches full of water that would have surrounded an island which would have had a domestic or religious building on it. They were mostly built during the medieval period around central and eastern England, often to show wealth and status in the countryside. The Howbury moated site is well preserved with some significant surviving architectural details remaining from a 16th or 17th century country house including chimney breasts and a four-centred arch fireplace in the upper storey. The house is thought to have been built on a much earlier manor house, possibly dating as far back as 1000 A.D. It was used for farming in the early 1900’s and was left derelict following bomb damage from the Second World War.
Source: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1001986
