Powderham Castle facts for kids
Powderham Castle is a large, historic home located in Devon, England. It's about 6 miles (10 km) south of the city of Exeter. The castle sits on flat land next to the River Exe, where another river, the River Kenn, joins it.
The building started as a fortified manor house around 1390. Over the years, especially in the 1700s and 1800s, it was made much bigger and changed a lot. Powderham Castle is still the home of the Courtenay family, who are the Earls of Devon. It's a very important historical building, listed as Grade I, and its gardens are also famous.
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What's in a Name?
The name "Powderham" comes from an old Dutch word, "polder." This word means "reclaimed marsh-land." So, Powderham means "the village of the reclaimed marsh-land," which makes sense because it's built on land that used to be marshy.
A Look Back in Time: Powderham Castle's History
The main part of Powderham Castle was built after 1390 by Sir Philip Courtenay. His family, the Courtenays, were very important in Devon. They were known as "Courtenay of Powderham" and were powerful local leaders. They served as judges, sheriffs, and even members of parliament.
The building was first a fortified manor house, which is a large, strong house built for defense. It only started being called a "castle" later, probably in the 1600s. It never had a keep (a main tower) or a moat (a ditch filled with water) like a true castle. However, it did have a defensive wall on one side. Many of the castle-like features you see today, especially at the main entrance, were added in the 1800s. For example, the impressive gatehouse was built between 1845 and 1847.
Battles and Changes: The Wars of the Roses
During the Wars of the Roses (a series of wars in England for control of the throne), the Courtenay family of Powderham had a rivalry with another powerful family, the Bonvilles. In 1455, Thomas de Courtenay, the Earl of Devon, led an army of 1,000 men and took control of Exeter. He then attacked Powderham Castle for two months. The Bonville family tried to help, but they were defeated. This shows how important and strong Powderham Castle was during these troubled times.
The English Civil War
Later, during the English Civil War in the 1640s, Powderham Castle was defended by 300 Royalist soldiers who supported King Charles I. In December 1645, Parliamentarian soldiers, who supported Parliament, tried to capture the castle. They finally succeeded on January 25, 1646. The castle was badly damaged during this attack. It took many years, until the early 1700s, for the castle to be fully repaired.
Inside Powderham Castle
The inside of Powderham Castle mixes old medieval features with beautiful 18th-century designs. The main part of the house is built around the original 14th and 15th-century structure. This area once held a large great hall and kitchens. Today, these spaces include the Staircase Hall, Marble Hall, and the Victorian kitchen.
The Marble Hall
The Marble Hall gets its name from its black and white marble floor. It was finished in 1755. This room was once the lower part of the medieval great hall. It used to be very tall, but a ceiling was added in the 1700s to create bedrooms above.
In this hall, you can see three old stone doorways that once led to the kitchens. There's also a higher doorway that was the entrance to a wooden gallery where musicians might have played. The Marble Hall is now a sitting room with an 18th-century fireplace. You can also see a very tall clock from around 1745 and a large tapestry from the 1600s. Above the fireplace, there's a carved wooden decoration from 1553 with the Courtenay family's coat of arms.
Other Interesting Features
Upstairs, there's a narwhal tusk. Sometimes, people used to think these tusks were unicorn horns and believed they could detect poison!
The Dining Hall Chimneypiece
The Dining Hall has a very special fireplace, or chimneypiece, that was put in around 1860. It was created to remember the 11th Earl of Devon's grandfather and parents. The hall itself was built by his father between 1847 and 1859.
This chimneypiece is covered in dozens of family coats of arms, which are like special symbols for different families. It's a copy of an old medieval fireplace found in the Bishop's Palace in Exeter. The coats of arms on the lowest row show the symbols of Bishop Reginald Courtenay, the 10th Earl of Devon and his wife, and the 11th Earl of Devon and his wife. You can also see two swans, which were a symbol of the Bohun family, who were ancestors of the Courtenays.
Powderham Castle Today
Powderham Castle is still a busy and important place. Since 1952, it has been recognized as a Grade I listed building, meaning it's a very important historical structure.
The castle has been used as a filming location for movies like The Remains of the Day (1993) and Churchill: The Hollywood Years. Famous TV shows, like Mary Berry's Country House Secrets, have also filmed here.
In 2008, the Earl of Devon sold a very old manuscript called the Courtenay Compendium. In 2009, some items from the castle were auctioned off to help pay debts. For a short time, the castle's license to host weddings was stopped, but it has since been reinstated, and the castle now hosts weddings and civil ceremonies again.
The castle is also a popular venue for concerts and events.
- In 2004, the band Westlife performed here.
- Status Quo played concerts in 2003 and 2009, along with other artists like ABC and Go West.
- In May 2016, Powderham Castle hosted BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, featuring big names like Ellie Goulding, Coldplay, and The 1975.
- Since then, artists like Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Little Mix, Bryan Adams, and Tom Jones have also performed.
In 2019, Powderham Castle started its own Food Festival, which brings together food and drink businesses from the local area. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the castle also began hosting a "Christmas at the Castle" light trail and experience. This event is very popular, attracting over 35,000 visitors each year with light displays, a Santa's Grotto, and special castle tours.
Powderham Castle continues to be a vibrant historical site, welcoming many visitors each year for tours, events, and a glimpse into its rich past.
