Bury Castle, Greater Manchester facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bury Castle |
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Part of the inner wall of the moat of Bury Castle, with buttresses
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Fortified manor house |
| Town or city | Bury, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°35′38″N 02°17′55″W / 53.59389°N 2.29861°W |
| Completed | 1469 |
| Demolished | 1485 |
| Client | Sir Thomas Pilkington |
Bury Castle was an old, fortified manor house located in Bury, England. It was built a long time ago, in 1469, by a powerful knight named Sir Thomas Pilkington. Today, only its remains are left, but they are protected as an important historical site. The castle was built on a hill, giving it a great view of the River Irwell. This made it a strong place to defend.
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Building a Fortified Home
Sir Thomas Pilkington was a very important person in Lancashire. He owned the lands of Bury and Pilkington. In 1469, he got special permission from King Edward IV. This permission allowed him to build strong walls and towers around his manor house in Bury. He could also add battlements and other defenses to protect it.
How the Castle Was Built
Archaeologists have studied the site of Bury Castle. They found that the castle was built in several stages. The first part was built between 1359 and 1400. This included a raised area for the house, surrounded by a moat. A moat is a deep, wide ditch, often filled with water, that protects a castle.
Why the Castle Was Destroyed
Bury Castle did not last very long. Sir Thomas Pilkington supported the House of York during the Wars of the Roses. This was a series of wars fought between two powerful families in England. After the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the House of Lancaster won. King Henry VII ordered Bury Castle to be destroyed. This was a punishment for Sir Thomas's support of the losing side. All of Sir Thomas's lands were also taken away.
What Happened to the Castle?
After it was destroyed, Bury Castle became a ruin. In 1540, a writer named John Leland visited the site. He described it as "a ruin of a castle by the Parish Church in the town."
Discovering the Remains
In 1753, an expert named Thomas Percival drew maps of the castle's visible foundations. Foundations are the parts of a building that are underground. He measured the ruins to be about 183 meters (600 feet) long and 82 meters (270 feet) wide. Over time, people took stones from the castle ruins to build other parts of Bury town.
In 1865, more parts of the castle were found. These were the foundations of a large defensive tower, sometimes called a keep. This tower was about 25 meters (82 feet) long and 19 meters (63 feet) wide. Its walls were very thick, about 1.8 meters (6 feet).
Bury Castle Today
Bury Castle became famous again in 1973. Amateur archaeologists, who are people who study old things for fun, found more stonework. This stonework had been hidden under a car park.
Today, Bury Council owns the site. It has been cleaned up and improved. Since 2000, Bury Castle has been open for everyone to visit. It is a great place to learn about medieval history. Bury Castle is also not far from Radcliffe Tower, another old fortified manor house built in the early 1400s.
