Lammerside Tower, Spring 2009 visit

Lammerside Tower
Nr Kirkby Stephen
Cumbria

Lammerside deserved another visit...I haven't been there since December 2005....and this time the weather, although cold, was much better. The earthworks also look more defined, the grass was just the right length.

The above photos shows the earthworks that now show where the surrounding barmkyn or curtain wall would once have run. This view shows the earthworks at the South side of the tower. They run from right to left, and continue right up the hill (out of shot) and would originally have surrounded the whole complex of buildings. At the top of the hill, the buried footings are surmounted by a modern fence, re-enforcing the medieval boundary.

The photo above, shows the tower looking from the West, at the top of the hill. The earthworks in the foreground, are thought to be the remains of an ornamental garden, probably placed here to give the viewer the best panoramic views of the tower and its attendant buildings, and Nateby Common. The fence, sitting on top of the medieval boundary, can just be seen to the left.

The photo above, shows the hall, looking at the Southern wall. The earthworks in the foreground would have been a substantial building, with thick walls, that would most likely have butted up against the now exposed face of the tower.

This photo shows a view from the first floor of the tower. The collapsed floor can just be seen in the foreground.

View of the South East corner of the tower. This photo shows just how much of the cladding has been destroyed or removed over the years, exposing the rough rubble from which the tower is constructed.

Pendragon Castle, Spring 2009 visit

Pendragon Castle
Mallerstang nr Kirkby Stephen
Cumbria

My favourite site, probably in the whole of Cumbria...Pendragon is isolated on the best of days, but with a cold wind blowing, and squally showers and bleak grey skies, it's all the more spectacular and yet lonely. This visit yielded some glimpses into the defences employed by its builders that made this building a safe haven in such a bleak and lonely landscape.

First of all, the doorway in the castle's North facing wall. There are no less than three levels of security on this entrance. The first, seen on the left of the door jamb (above), and the right of the door jamb (below) The series of deep holes would originally have had metal hinges leaded into them securely, from which a heavy door would have hung.

The next two photos show the draw bar slots and the groove in which the portcullis would have run. The draw bar slots would have secured yet another door, and the portcullis would have been the external security for this entrance.

The photo above, shows the East door jamb. The draw bar tunnel in this jamb is fairly shallow, perhaps around 4 inches deep, and rectangular in shape...however this may be due to a missing stone from it's lower lip. The portcullis slot can also be clearly seen on this jamb, running from top to bottom of the outer lip of the door jamb...although the interior guiding lip has been chipped or eroded away.

The photo above, shows the West door jamb, again with the draw bar tunnel and the portcullis slot....this time much better preserved. The draw bar tunnel in this jamb is perhaps a foot deep. The portcullis slot runs from top to bottom and looks almost complete. There would most likely have been a room above part of the doorway from which the portcullis could be raised and lowered.

The photo above shows the remains of the gatehouse. Most likely the site of the Countess Gate, this would have been the only way over the deep moat that runs almost the full circuit of the castle's mound. These earthwork remains are situated on the East side of the site, next to the modern causeway that now provides easy access to the castle. The mound in the centre of the photo, probably marks the last remains of buried footings of the gatehouse, and the area to the left of this, in front of the modern wall, would most likely have been an outer courtyard area.

The photo above shows the deep depression in the moat where the gatehouse's deep cellar would have been (just to the right of the modern causeway) You can just make out the buried masonry marking the spot the gatehouse would have occupied.

It's now thought that Lady Ann Clifford had the castle rebuilt and refurbished as a Summer retreat, with her ancestors using it as a hunting lodge....the security built into its fabric to make sure that local families, such as the Warcops and the Whartons, did not enter un-invited. There seems to have been a long running feud between the Cliffords, the Whartons and the Warcops regarding park boundaries, with all three families laying claims to large areas in the region.

Sizergh Castle, Spring 2009

Sizergh Castle
Sizergh
Nr Kendal
Cumbria

Sizergh Castle has recently undergone a period of in depth maintenance. For two years the exterior of the castle has been clad in scaffolding, essentially hiding the building from view...until now!! The scaffolding is down, and the newly re-pointed castle has been unveiled.....and what a fantastic job the restorers have done. Gone is the dour, dark exterior stone work, and gone is the (beautiful in Summer) ivy that previously clung to most of the tower. Instead, a pale limestone tower dominates the buildings looking out over beautifully manicured gardens.

A view of the castle from the gardens below.

This photograph shows the South facing, 14th or 15th century Deincourt tower to the left, the 15th century Drawing room with its terrace in the centre, and the 15th century Muniments tower to the right.

A view of the castle from the South West from the drive. The stair turret can be seen jutting out from the Deincourt tower.

A magnificent view of the Deincourt tower from the West across the well manicured lawns.

The same view, but closer. The re-pointed tower shows off it windows much better now that the ivy cladding has been removed.

A classic view of Sizergh castle looking from the North into the courtyard.

The Deincourt tower can be seen to the right of the photo, with the North face of the Hall in the centre. The 16th century Morning room can be seen to the left of the photo. To the right of the photo, disappearing behind the trees, are a line of buildings, erected in the 16th century, and containing kitchens, barracks, a chapel and laundry rooms. The line of buildings to the left of the photo, also date from the 16th century, and contained another kitchen and accommodation.

Another view of the castle from the South, showing the Deincourt tower, the central Hall, and the Muniments Tower.

A view of the Deincourt tower from the West in the walled garden.

The armorial plate above the second floor window in the North facing wall of the Deincourt tower, probably dates from the 14th century, and is quartered with the Strickland coat of arms (top right and bottom left) and the, as yet, unidentified arms of another family. The castle is open to view now, and you can pay to see the house and the gardens, or just the gardens.

Moat, Ravenstonedale

Moated site
Ravenstonedale
Cumbria

This is one of the intriguing sites with little history available to tell. Sited some two miles South West of Kirkby Stephen, just off the A685, the earthworks here are only really visible if you stop and take a 'slide' down the embankment. Once you've found them however, they're quite impressive. The site consists of a range of banks and ditches, and may represent the remains of a medieval moated manor. The Southern extremes of the site have undoubtedly been buried beneath the houses here, whilst the Northern extremes of the site have undoubtedly vanished beneath the bank upon which the A685 now runs.

The site is very large, covering all of the fields between the houses and road with an estimated width of around 120 feet and a total overall length of around 180 feet. The ditches and embankments are very well defined, some of them up to 4 feet deep in places. The remains are described as a moated site, or a motte with a gate, by Pastscape, and may represent the remains of a manor dating from before 1150. Philip Davis of the Gatehouse website labels this site as a 'questionable' fortification.....but whatever the history connected with these remains, they represent something fairly major.

Of course...there is always the possibility that these remains represent nothing more than the remains of a medieval garden that was built in the area. Interestingly, there are a number of dykes and earthworks to the North of these remains. Clearly marked on the ordnance survey map, and just discernible on aerial photos, they seem to represent the remains of either dykes or hollow ways. There are also a number of 'pillow mounds' (rabbit warrens), visible on aerial photos, positioned a few hundred metres to the North of the Ravenstonedale earthworks. Could the presence of these warrens indicate the presence of a manorial centre in the area? The area was once clearly emparked....the sheer number of pillow mounds still surviving and visible, would indicate that this was certainly the case. It also lends strength to the argument that the earthworks shown above, are in fact fish ponds....similar to the set up at Lammerside, where an emparked area also contains both rabbit warrens and fish ponds. As more information is discovered, it will be posted here.

Click on the photos for full size versions!

Kentmere Hall, Kentmere Nr Kendal

Kentmere Hall
Nr Kendal
Cumbria

Kentmere Tower can be found about 12 miles North of Kendal, at the end of the Kentmere valley from where the River Kent springs. The tower and attached hall dominate the Northern end of the valley, along with the small church of St Cuthbert.

The site consists of a 15th century cross wing to the East of the building, a central hall, again dating from the 15th century, and, most importantly, a 14th century tower to the West. A 19th century kitchen is situated to the rear of the hall.

The tower stands to three storeys, and was probably built around 1375 by the Gilpin family. Indeed, the whole of Kentmere once belonged to the Gilpin family, until the land and the tower and hall were sold to the Philipsons in the 1660’s. The tower covers an area of around 9 metres by 7 metres, with walls some 1 and a half metres thick at ground level. There is a vaulted basement and a spiral staircase still exists in the North East corner, visible from the outside as a small projection. The corbelled parapet still exists most of the way around the summit of the tower.

Above. Floor plan of the tower and the attached hall house. 

Above. Rear view of the tower and hall house.

An early drawing by Machell, shows the hall with the tower attached to it, with no other buildings in attendance.

This is one of those great sites that have good access. A public footpath runs right past the tower, affording great views.

The building of Kentmere Hall, includes the fantastical appearance of a local 'giant', Hugh Hird (the Troutbeck Giant!!). It is alleged that, whilst the tower was being roofed, ten men could not lift and place the huge chimney beam, which it is said, measured thirty feet long, thirteen inches by twelve and a half thick, and sits some six feet up. Whilst the builders were resting, and no doubt pondering how they would get this huge piece of wood in place, Hugh turned up and single handed put this chimney beam into place. The story then goes onto say how Hugh killed himself at the age of 42, tearing up trees in the Kentmere valley, with his bare hands!!! Legend also tells us that Hugh was a defender of local villages and their people during raids by the Scots.

Melmbery Hall, Melmerby

Melmerby Hall
Melmerby
Cumbria

The small village of Melmerby can be found about six miles North East of Penrith on the A686. The church of church of St John the Baptist sits right next to a long high wall that runs the length of the gardens of the hall. The village appears in some historical documentation as a defensible village....a feature of a few scattered villages in this part of the county. But unlike Milburn and Temple Sowerby, Melmerby seems to have lost the traditional form and shape of these villages.

(Above photo courtesy of Simon Ledingham)

Views of the hall are difficult to come by, so my visit to Melmerby was fruitless where photographing the hall was concerned. However, a kind benefactor recently sent me a newspaper cutting with a photo of the hall....and this is what can be seen here.

Above. An old postcard (from a personal collection) showing the village green.

The oldest part of the current building probably dates from around the latter part of the 16th century. There are reports of a date stone being seen with a date of 1597 carved in it.

The original fortification, a 'tower' of some description, is thought to have been built sometime in the early 14th century, but all that survives now, is the 16th century hall range, consisting of a parlour and scullery. A record, probably dating from around 1322, states "John de Denum kept a garrison of twelve men at his tower of Melmerby".

Interestingly, the small church a few hundred yards away, is thought to contain the remains of 14th century tower, possibly built as a place of refuge. Could this be in any way connected with the hall?

Check this link.

More views of Kendal Castle

Here are a few more views of Kendal Castle, a site that seems to change with each day!!

Below, a view of the main hall from within the confines of the inner court. This part of the castle has been heavily restored and consolidated. Originally, this area would have contained the kitchens, guest accommodation and stores in the vaulted chambers beneath (not shown here)

Below, a view of the castle from across Goose Holme by the river. (click to enlarge) The trees were planted on the castle's slopes sometime around 1813, when the whole of Castle Hill was owned by the Dowker family. At this time, much of the castle's wall was capped and other stone work was repaired and secured. Kendal castle has a distinct lack of architectural points that can aid the visitor with dating its fabric. It's likely that the early 19th century consolidation work that was carried out was responsible for this.

Below, a view of Kendal Castle taken in the snow in December 2008(click to enlarge) It is thought that the castle started off its life as a ring work, much like Pennington near Ulverston. The moat is surmounted by a bank, upon which the wall is built. There's every possibility that the castle was temporarily set up as a ring work structure, for the duration of its construction, to give its builders an element of protection.

Below. Kendal Castle from Abbot Hall park (click to enlarge)

Towers in Frejus, South of France

Towers in Frejus
France

Sandwiched between St Raphael to the North East, and Saint Aygulf to the South West, and some twenty kilometres to the North of Saint Tropez, Frejus, in the South of France is well known for its Roman remains. Sporting one of Europe's largest amphitheatres and a number of other Roman ruins, the town also possesses a number of medieval towers. Originally called the Jullii Forum (after the Roman Emperor Gnaeus Julius Agricola) the town's name soon evolved to become Frejus. Emperor Agricola placed great importance on the port of Frejus, building a port capable of welcoming cargo ships from all over the empire, setting up a market for selling and buying imported goods, establishing the Colonia Octaviorum, a retirement complex for verterans of the Eighth Legion and establishing the town as the base for the Roman Empire's Mediterranean fleet. Over time though, with the Roman empire fading, and the port silting up, the town became less and less important. It wasn't until the 10th century that the town's fortunes improved. Bishop Riculphe is credited with the building of the 'new town', but he was continually thwarted by pirate attacks which slowed the town's progress down.

The above photo shows the Roman ruins of the Porte des Gaules, now missing its facing stones. To the left, and shown below, a medieval tower has been 'tagged' onto the end, utilising the line of the port's walls. I'm under the impression (though this has to be confirmed) that this tower and the wall marks the extremities of the old medieval town, possibly indicating that Frejus was once a walled town.

As far as I can tell, the tower shown below, was the original palace for the Bishop of Frejus, probably built in the latter part of the 11th century, with additions being made into the early part of the 12th century. The tower is three storeys tall, with a vaulted hall on the second floor and a terrace on the roof, originally designed to take a dozen canons for the town's defence.

The building has lower walls some three metres thick, and was designed to accommodate the Bishop, his family and other town dignitaries, and would have formed part of the original town walls.

In the 13th century, a separate building was erected, possibly shown above, where all the town's canons were moved to.

As I trawl through the French language web sites with information on these towers, I'll update this post.

Low Hall, Little Strickland

Low Hall
Little Strickland
Cumbria

Although only a tentative possibility of a fortified building exists here, I thought it would be good to include it anyway. Little Strickland can be found about 5 miles South of Penrith, just off the A6 and behind Thrimby Grange.

Finding the Hall was a little difficult, as the building is set back off the B road and is situated amongst all sorts of buildings on a working farm. I think that the photo above represents the end of one of the wings....although if anyone tells me otherwise I'll go with that!!

From a historical documentation point of view, the site has always been described as a hall site with towers, although it's thought that the towers were either built over, or incorporated into the present buildings. Some historical texts describe the site as having a 9 feet curtain wall, so it was fairly well defended.

The hall was most likely built for the Crackenthorpe family, some time around 1540, although there are a number of 16th, 17th and 19th century buildings and alterations present.

The photo above, if actually of the hall, was a very narrow view, only available from the grass verge of the small road running nearby.

New Blog for churches!!

As I have managed to visit around 150 churches in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and North Lancashire, it is only right that these buildings get their own blog. A new site has therefore been put together, and can be found at the following link cumbrianchurches

This blog will continue to be used for fortifications and other historical buildings visited in the future, and the church blog will be solely dedicated to ecclesiastical buildings.

Warton Old Rectory, Autumn 2008 visit

Warton Old Rectory
Warton
Lancashire

Autumn 2008 sees me re-visiting Warton Old Rectory, a rare medieval stone house situated in Warton, just off the Yealand Conyers to Carnforth back road. The remains are extensive, with the main body of the late 13th, early 14th century still standing to full height at the gable ends, and most of the windows and doors still in situ.

The main reason for the re-visit, was to get some photos of the security of this building, namely, the draw-bar-slot in the main East facing doorway. Apart from the thickness of the walls, the fact that the main doors all exited into a semi-secure courtyard, the draw-bar-slot represents a clear desire for this building to be secured. Against whom...I'm not sure. It's very possible, as with any buildings with this form of security\minor defence, that it was designed purely and simply as security. There's also the possibility that this could be classed as a 'light fortification', but seeing as the building obviously had windows at ground floor level, I'm not sure this is really the case. It's possible that any desire for defence or security, was influenced by a Scottish raid in the area dating from 1322. This was a wide ranging period of disturbance, with many villages in the area being raided and damaged.

Detail of the draw-bar-slot built into the thickness of the wall.

The draw-bar-slot vanishes into the wall to the depth of about three feet, and is about 9 inches square. It was obviously quite a large draw-bar that was used to secure this external door.

The above photos shows three smaller draw-bar type slots (one now filled) in one of the central doors. There are three doors of this type, side by side in this wall, and this is the only door with these shallow, oblong slots. This door originally led to a small room that was used either as a pantry or a buttery...so what use security would have been here, is debatable. There's every possibility of course that the use of the room changed at some point.

Chester City Gates, Chester

Chester City Gates
Chester
Cheshire

All of the old medieval gates in Chester have unfortunately been removed. All that we are left with, are architecturally interesting replacements that do not bear any resemblance to their original fortified incarnations.

The Wolf Gate

The Wolf Gate, situated opposite the Roman Amphitheater, is probably built on the site of a Saxon gateway. Built in the 17th century, it was rebuilt again later in the 18th century, and is linked to the Wolf Tower, also known as Thimbleby's Tower a short distance to the North.

The Newgate

The Newgate was built in 1937\38 and follows a Neo Gothic design. As with the other gates in Chester, it was built to allow the free flow of traffic into and out of the city.

The Water Gate

Situated at the West of the city, the Water Gate links Watergate Street with New Crane Street beyond the city walls. This gate was built in 1788 to a design by Joseph Turner, and was often referred to simply as the West Gate.

Up until the 18th century, the River Dee actually came right up to the city walls at this point, giving the gate its present name.

St Martin's Gate

A controversial addition to Chester's architectural heritage, this concrete footbridge was erected in 1966 and spans the Inner Ring Road.

During its construction the remains of a Roman tower were found.

The Bridge Gate

Unfortunately there were roadworks taking place underneath this gate, so I was unable to take any photos at road level. This gate was constructed in 1782, again to designs by Joseph Turner. This gate was also known as the South Gate (for obvious reasons) and also as the Welsh Gate.

The North Gate

This structure was built in 1810, to designs by Thomas Harrison. It replaced the medieval gateway which at the time contained the city gaol.

The East Gate

This gate was built between 1768 and 1769, and replaced the original medieval gateway which was far too narrow for the increasing flow of traffic. This gate was considered to be the main entrance into the city.

The clock that sits atop the gate commemorates Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of 1897.