Hornby Castle, Lancashire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hornby Castle
Southwest front of Hornby Castle
Location	Hornby, Lancashire, England
OS grid reference	SD 588,686
Founded	13th century
Rebuilt	About 1720
Restored	1847–50
Restored by	Pudsey Dawson
Architect	Sharpe and Paley
Architectural style(s)	Gothic, Gothic Revival
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Hornby Castle
Designated	4 October 1967
Reference no.	1317655
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Terrace wall on southeast and southwest sides of Hornby Castle
Designated	4 December 1985
Reference no.	1071687
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: No 54, pairs of gate piers and walls adjoining former entrance to Hornby Castle Drive
Designated	4 December 1985
Reference no.	1071654
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Hornby Castle is a grand country house in Lancashire, England. It started as a medieval castle. You can find it east of Hornby village. It looks over the beautiful Lune Valley. The castle sits near a bend in the River Wenning. This historic house is very important. It is officially recognized as a Grade I listed building. This means it is a special place that needs to be protected.

The Castle's Story

Hornby Castle was likely built in the 1200s. The Neville family probably built it first. The base of the tower at the back of the castle dates from this time. In the 1500s, the polygonal tower was added. This was probably for Sir Edward Stanley. He was the first Baron Monteagle.

His son, the second Baron Monteagle, helped stop a rebellion in 1536. This rebellion was called the Rising of the North. The third Baron Monteagle sold off much of the land. When he died in 1581, his daughter Elizabeth inherited the castle. She married Edward Parker.

Their son, William, became the fourth Baron Monteagle. He is famous for being warned about the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. This was a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

His son Henry was a strong supporter of the King. This was at the start of the English Civil War. Because of this, his lands were taken away and sold. During the war, the castle was captured in 1643. It was also occupied by a Scottish army in 1648.

Later, the family got the castle back. But Henry's son Thomas had money problems. He had to sell the castle in 1663. It was bought by Robert Brudenell. His grandson sold it in 1713 to a man named Colonel Charteris.

Colonel Charteris's daughter, Janet, married James Wemyss. She gave the castle to their second son, Francis. He took the last name Charteris. Around 1720, Francis remodeled the castle.

In 1789, Charteris sold Hornby to John Marsden. After a long legal fight over Marsden's will, Admiral Sandford Tatham took control in 1838. He died in 1840. His nephew, Pudsey Dawson, then inherited the castle. Pudsey Dawson was a very important local official. He was the High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1845.

Dawson hired architects Sharpe and Paley to rebuild much of the castle. This work happened between 1847 and 1850. The architects kept the old parts, like the polygonal tower. But they changed or rebuilt other sections. They rebuilt the front of the castle. They added new parts and a grand entrance. They also replaced a round tower with a square one. This work cost a lot of money.

In 1859, Pudsey's nephew, Richard Pudsey Dawson, inherited the castle. He sold it to John Foster. Foster owned a large mill in Bradford. More changes were made to the castle under his ownership. These were done by architects Paley and Austin in 1879–82. More changes happened in 1890. The castle then passed down through Foster's family.

In the mid-1900s, some rooms were removed. This created an open space inside the house. The main staircase was also taken out at this time.

Castle Design

Outside the Castle

The castle is built from sandstone and has slate roofs. Its style is called Perpendicular Gothic. This is a type of Gothic architecture. The building is not perfectly even in shape. Most of it has two floors. Much of the roofline has a battlemented top. This looks like a castle wall with gaps for defense.

The main entrance faces southwest. It has seven sections, called bays. The sections on the sides stick out. The central porch also sticks out and has three floors. All the windows have vertical stone bars called mullions. Some also have horizontal bars called transoms. The side sections have large bay windows. These windows stick out from the wall.

On the left side of the porch is an eight-sided tower. On the right is a diagonal support. The middle floor of the porch has a special window called an oriel window. Above it is a window with three sections. Behind the porch is a square tower. To its left is a taller, narrower, eight-sided tower. The square tower has a partly blocked Venetian window. This is a window with three parts. The open space created in the 1900s is behind the right side of the castle.

Inside the Castle

The porch has a vaulted ceiling. This means it has an arched roof. It has carved decorations called bosses. You enter the main hall through a Tudor arch. This arch has a flattened point. It holds a glass and wood screen in a Gothic style.

The hall has a sandstone fireplace with a Tudor arch. Its windows have stained glass from the late 1800s. This glass was moved here in the 1900s. To the left of the hall is the Library. It has beautiful wooden features. These are said to be made by a famous company called Gillows.

Upstairs, there is a billiard room. It has decorations in the Gothic style. Also upstairs is a drawing room. It has a barrel vault ceiling. This means the ceiling is shaped like half a barrel.

Other Castle Features

To the northeast of the main building is an older courtyard. It is now surrounded by apartments. You enter it through a gatehouse with a pointed arch.

On the southwest and southeast sides of the house is a terrace. It has sandstone walls from the 1800s. Three sets of steps lead down from the terrace. At the north end is a small, round building. It acts like a bastion, a strong part of a fort. These walls are also listed as Grade II.

At the old entrance to the castle drive, there is a small building called a lodge. There are also large gate piers. The lodge has a slanted front and a steep roof. It also has a small tower with battlements. The gate piers have carvings of green men. They also show the crest of Pudsey Dawson. The lodge, gate piers, and nearby wall are also listed as Grade II.

Hornby Castle Today

Hornby Castle is a private home. It is not usually open to the public. However, the gardens are sometimes opened for special events. You can check advertised dates to visit them.