Grimsthorpe Castle facts for kids
Grimsthorpe Castle is a large country house in Lincolnshire, England. It's about 4 miles (6 km) north-west of Bourne on the A151. The castle sits within a huge 3,000-acre (12 km2) park. This park has rolling green fields, beautiful lakes, and lots of trees. A famous landscape designer named Capability Brown helped create its look.
Even though it's called a "castle," Grimsthorpe isn't a traditional medieval fortress. However, it looks very strong and grand, with towers and other buildings that remind you of a big, old fort. Grimsthorpe has been the home of the de Eresby family since 1516. Today, Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby lives there. She is the granddaughter of Nancy Astor, who passed away at Grimsthorpe in 1964.
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Castle's Early History
Grimsthorpe Castle started as a small fort. It was built on a hill along a road that led from the fen edge in Lincolnshire towards the Great North Road. People believe Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln began building it in the early 1200s. Gilbert was important during a time in England called the Anarchy, around 1140, when many castles were being built.
The tower at the south-east corner of the current building is thought to be part of the original castle. It's known as King John's Tower. This name might make people think the castle was built during King John's time, but it was likely earlier.
After Gilbert de Gant died in 1156, Grimsthorpe probably came under the control of the Earl of Chester. Later, during the last years of the Plantagenet kings, the castle belonged to Lord Lovell. He was a strong supporter of Richard III. When Henry VII became king, Lord Lovell joined a rebellion to bring back the old royal family. The rebellion failed, and Lord Lovell's property, including Grimsthorpe, was taken by the Crown. It was then given to someone who supported the new Tudor Dynasty.
The Tudor Period at Grimsthorpe
In 1516, King Henry VIII gave Grimsthorpe Castle to the 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby. He also arranged for the Baron to marry Maria de Salinas, a Spanish lady who worked for Queen Catherine of Aragon. Their daughter, Katherine, inherited the castle and title when her father died in 1526. She was only seven years old at the time.
In 1533, Katherine became the fourth wife of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. He was a close friend of King Henry VIII. In 1539, Henry VIII gave Charles Suffolk land from the nearby Vaudey Abbey, which had been closed down. Suffolk used stones from the abbey to help build and expand his wife's house. In just 18 months, the house was ready for King Henry VIII to visit in 1541. He stayed there on his way to York. In 1551, Mary of Guise, who was James V of Scotland's widow, also stayed at Grimsthorpe.
The castle was built on glacial till, which is a type of soil. It seems the new parts were built very quickly. Because of this, the foundations weren't very strong, and major repairs were needed later. However, much of this Tudor house can still be seen today.
During Queen Mary I's reign, Katherine Brandon (who was born Willoughby) and her second husband, Richard Bertie, had to leave the castle. This was because they held Anglican religious views, which were not favored by Queen Mary. When Elizabeth I became queen, they returned with their daughter, Susan, and their new son, Peregrine. Peregrine later became a soldier and spent much of his time away from Grimsthorpe.
The Grand Vanbrugh Building
By 1707, the 15th Baron Willoughby de Eresby had already rebuilt the north side of Grimsthorpe in a classical style. However, in 1715, Robert Bertie, who was the 16th Baron, hired a famous architect named Sir John Vanbrugh. Vanbrugh was asked to design a grand Baroque front for the house. This was to celebrate Robert Bertie becoming the first Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven. This design is considered Vanbrugh's last great work.
Vanbrugh also drew plans to rebuild the other three sides of the house, but these plans were never carried out. His idea for the south side was in the Palladian style, which was a new trend at the time. It looked very different from his other buildings.
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Inside, Vanbrugh's main hall is very impressive. It has stone arches on two levels all around. Arched screens at each end of the hall separate it from the staircases, similar to other grand houses like Audley End House and Castle Howard. The main staircase is behind one of these screens and leads to the fancy rooms on the first floor.
The State Dining Room is in Vanbrugh's north-east tower. It has a painted ceiling and a large Venetian window that lets in lots of light. This room holds the throne used by King George IV at his Coronation Banquet. There's also a fancy gold throne and footstool used by Queen Victoria in the old House of Lords. Another special chair and footstool were made for King George III to use in Westminster.
The King James and State Drawing Rooms have been redecorated many times over the years. They display portraits by famous artists like Reynolds and Van Dyck, European furniture, and yellow tapestries made around 1730. The South Corridor has thrones used by Prince Albert and Edward VII. You can also see the desk where Queen Victoria signed her coronation oath.
A series of rooms in the Tudor east wing follow, with special oriel windows that stick out and beautiful ceilings. The Chinese drawing room has a very rich ceiling and an 18th-century fan-shaped oriel window. The walls are covered with Chinese wallpaper showing birds among bamboo plants. The chapel is also magnificent, with amazing plasterwork from the 1600s.
The Beautiful Park and Gardens
The park at Grimsthorpe was once the edge of a huge forest in Lincolnshire. It still has parts of a medieval deer park and a Tudor oak park. You can see beautiful rows of trees crossing the park. Some oak trees that were growing there in the early 1700s might have even been around when the Domesday Book was written in 1086! Some of these very old trees were reportedly still alive in the 1900s.
The current design of Grimsthorpe Castle park was created by Lancelot "Capability" Brown in 1771. His supporter, the 3rd Duke of Ancaster, helped make his plans happen. The garden has a knot garden, rose gardens with hedges, and a terrace with many different flowers and shrubs. There's also a summerhouse designed by Vanbrugh.
The formal flower and topiary garden (where plants are shaped) smoothly leads into the woodland garden. This area provides a lovely setting for the ornamental vegetable garden and orchard. These were created in the 1960s by the Countess of Ancaster and Peter Coates. Close to the Castle, you'll find detailed parterres, which are garden beds marked out with low box hedges. A dramatic border of tall flowers frames views across the lake.
Grimsthorpe in the 1900s
During the First World War, Grimsthorpe Park was used by the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. It served as an emergency landing strip for planes. In the Second World War, the central part of the park, near the old Vaudey Abbey site, was used as a bombing range for training. In 1944, the castle housed a company of the Parachute Regiment. They were recovering from battles in Italy and training for a big operation called Operation Market Garden. Their flight to Arnhem started from RAF Folkingham.
Today, Grimsthorpe Castle and Drummond Castle are owned and managed by a special trust.
Art Collection
At Grimsthorpe, there is a life-sized painting by Francisco de Zurbarán of Benjamin. This is the only painting that was separated from Zurbarán's famous series called Jacob and his twelve sons. The rest of the series is kept at Auckland Castle in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. There is a copy of the Benjamin painting at Bishop Auckland.
