John O'Gaunt's Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John O' Gaunt's Castle |
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| West Riding of Yorkshire, England | |
Castle remains today
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 John O' Gaunt's Castle
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| Coordinates | 53°59′10″N 1°40′03″W / 53.9861°N 1.6675°W |
| Type | Hunting lodge |
John O'Gaunt's Castle was a royal hunting lodge in the West Riding of Yorkshire in England. A hunting lodge was a special building used by kings or nobles when they went hunting.
Contents
A Look Back: The Castle's Story
John O'Gaunt's Castle is found near Harrogate, in what is now North Yorkshire. This castle was once a hunting lodge for John O'Gaunt. He was a very powerful noble, known as the Duke of Lancaster.
John O'Gaunt was also the "Lord of the Manor" of Knaresborough. This meant he owned and controlled a large area of land there. He held this important position for 28 years, until 1399.
Building the Lodge
The castle was built on a strong spot, at the end of a piece of land that stuck out from a hill. This area is called Haverah Park. The lodge sat on a raised platform, about 35 meters by 30 meters in size.
A wide ditch surrounded this platform. The castle also had a strong outer wall, called a curtain wall. There was a gatehouse with a bridge that crossed over the moat. Inside, there were the foundations of a central tower, about 15 meters square. Another wall was likely part of a larger building.
The castle was part of the royal lands of Knaresborough. King Edward III started building work here in 1334. Later, in 1372, King Edward III gave the castle and Knaresborough to his son, John of Gaunt. This is how the castle got its name!
Modern Recognition
John O'Gaunt's Castle was officially recognized as an important historical site on December 17th, 1929.
What the Castle Looked Like
The hunting lodge was a stone tower. It was built on a square foundation. Inside the lodge, there was also a chapel, a small church-like room. The roof of the building was made out of lead. A ditch, about 2 meters wide, went all the way around the castle.
