Broughton Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Broughton Castle |
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| Type | Fortified manor house |
| Location | Broughton, Oxfordshire |
| OS grid reference | SP4180938173 |
| Built |
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| Owner | Private |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Broughton Castle and attached walls | |
| Designated | 8 December 1955 |
| Reference no. | 1248742 |
| Official name: Broughton Castle | |
| Designated | 1 June 1984 |
| Reference no. | 1001088 |
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Broughton Castle is a cool old fortified house in the village of Broughton, near Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. It's like a castle but also a fancy home. It has been the home of the Fiennes family, who are also known as the Barons Saye and Sele, for a very long time.
The castle sits on its own island. It is surrounded by a wide moat, which is like a big ditch filled with water. A small bridge connects the castle to the nearby church of St Mary the Virgin. Broughton Castle is a very important historic building. You can even visit it during the summer!
Contents
History of Broughton Castle
Ancient Roman Discoveries
In 2021, a TV show called Time Team dug up some amazing things at Broughton Castle. They found parts of a Roman villa. This villa was first discovered by someone using a metal detector.
Before that, in the 1960s, a special coffin was found. It was made of lead and held the body of a rich Roman-British woman. These finds show that important people lived here even thousands of years ago!
The Time Team dig showed that the Roman villa was quite large. It had many rooms and was used from the 1st to the 4th century AD. They also found pieces of mosaics and heating tiles. This tells us it was a very fancy Roman home.
From Medieval Times to Today
Broughton Castle was first built as a manor house in 1300 by Sir John de Broughton. He chose this spot because three streams met here, making it easy to create a moat. In 1377, the house was sold to William of Wykeham, a powerful bishop. The same family has owned it ever since!
In 1406, Sir Thomas Wykeham added battlements to the house. This made it look more like a castle. Later, in 1451, it passed to the Fiennes family. Around 1550, Richard Fiennes made the house much bigger and more grand. He changed it into the beautiful Tudor style you see today. Even King James I visited Broughton Castle many times.
In the 1600s, during the time of King Charles I, the castle played an important role. The owner, William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, was against the king. People who supported Parliament, like John Pym, met at the castle. They planned how to oppose the king before the English Civil War.
During the war, in 1642, the king's soldiers attacked the castle. They surrounded it and quickly took it over. The castle was damaged by their cannons. After the war, it had to be repaired. The Fiennes family was able to make peace with the new government.
In the 1800s, the castle started to fall apart. But then, Frederick Fiennes, 16th Baron Saye and Sele saved it. He hired a famous architect, Sir George Gilbert Scott, to fix it up. Later, in the early 1900s, Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox rented the house. She made the gardens beautiful and even hosted King Edward VII there.
Broughton Castle is still the home of the Fiennes family today.
Exploring the Castle Rooms
When you visit, you'll see the old gatehouse from 1406. The building next to it, which is now a shop and cafe, has cool Gothic windows. The main part of the castle looks medieval on one side and more like a grand Elizabethan house on the other.
The chapel is from the 1300s and has a beautiful Gothic style. Most of the other main rooms you can visit are from the Elizabethan period. The great hall runs along the front of the castle. Upstairs, there's a long gallery that looks out over the gardens.
Some of the best bedrooms have amazing fireplaces. In the Queen's Bedroom, which was used by Anne of Denmark, there's a stone fireplace with lots of decorations. It shows how people were starting to learn about new art styles from Europe. Another fireplace, in the room used by King James I, is very smooth and fancy. It might have been made by artists from Italy.
You can also see beautiful plasterwork ceilings in rooms like the Great Parlour. Some bedrooms have old Chinese wallpaper from the 1700s. It shows trees, birds, and flowers and is still in great condition.
There's even a special room at the top of the castle. People believe it was called the "room with no ears." This is where the first Viscount Saye and Sele secretly met with other leaders before the Civil War. They wanted to make sure no one could overhear their plans! The gardens around the castle are also lovely, especially in summer.
Broughton Castle on Screen
Broughton Castle has been a popular spot for filming movies and TV shows. You might have seen it in:
- The Slipper and the Rose (1976)
- The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
- Three Men and a Little Lady (1990)
- The Madness of King George (1994)
- Shakespeare in Love (1998)
- Jane Eyre (2011)
It has also appeared in TV shows like Wolf Hall, Keeping Up Appearances, and the opening titles for Noel's House Party.
Concerts at the Castle
In 1981, a British folk rock band called Fairport Convention held their yearly concert at Broughton Castle. Usually, they play in a different town, but this time they chose the castle! They even recorded the concert and released it as an album called Moat on the Ledge.
Broughton Castle in Books
In 2009, William Fiennes, who is the youngest son of the current Baron Saye and Sele, wrote a book called The Music Room. It's a true story about growing up in the castle, though he never actually names it in the book. The book describes his home and family in a beautiful way.
