Newton St Loe Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Newton St Loe Castle |
|
|---|---|
| Newton St Loe, Somerset | |
Keep of Newton St Loe Castle
|
|
 Newton St Loe Castle
|
|
| Coordinates | 51°22′24″N 2°26′28″W / 51.3733°N 2.4410°W |
| Type | Fortified manor house |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Bath Spa University |
| Site history | |
| Materials | Stone |
Newton St Loe Castle was once a strong, protected house called a manor house in the village of Newton St Loe, Somerset, England. Today, you can still see parts of it. These include a tall tower from the 1300s (called a keep) and a main entrance building from the 1400s (called a gatehouse). Both of these old parts are very important and are listed as Grade I buildings.
What is Newton St Loe Castle?
Newton St Loe Castle was built as a fortified manor house. This means it was a large house that was also designed to be defended from attacks. It was likely built in the 1100s. The castle was surrounded by Newton Park, which was a special area for deer in the Middle Ages.
For a while, the castle was known as St. John's Keep. This was because it supposedly held King John under arrest. A knight named William de Sancto Laudo was said to have held him there.
Building the Castle
At the start of the 1300s, the St Loe family began to build a strong tower, or keep, at the site. They also built a larger castle with a rectangular shape and a courtyard in the middle. It had four towers at its corners. A ditch on three sides helped protect it.
Later, in the first half of the 1400s, Sir Walter Hungerford added a new gatehouse to the castle. This gatehouse was the main entrance. It had turrets (small towers) and machicolations. Machicolations were openings in the floor of the battlements. They allowed defenders to drop things like stones on attackers below. The gatehouse also had an early gunport, which was a small opening for firing guns.
What happened later?
In the 1800s, the castle and the park around it were changed a lot. They were made into a country house and gardens. Only the main tower (keep) and the gatehouse are still standing today. You can also see a mound nearby. This mound shows where one of the corner towers of the 1300s castle used to be.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the castle was used by Bath College of Higher Education. This college is now known as Bath Spa University. The Religious Studies department was located there.
In 1984, the keep and the gatehouse were officially recognized as Grade I listed buildings. This means they are very important historical buildings. Today, Bath Spa University uses the site.
