Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire facts for kids
Tattershall Castle is an amazing old castle located in Tattershall, a village in Lincolnshire, England. Since 1925, a group called the National Trust has looked after it, making sure it stays in good shape for everyone to visit.
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History of Tattershall Castle
Tattershall Castle started out as a stone castle or a strong manor house built by Robert de Tattershall way back in 1231. Many years later, between 1430 and 1450, a very important person named Ralph Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell rebuilt and made the castle much bigger. He was the Treasurer of England, which meant he looked after the country's money!
Why Brick?
Most castles in England were made of stone or wood. But Lord Cromwell chose to use bricks for Tattershall Castle. This was quite unusual! Using bricks was a new and fashionable trend brought over by weavers from a place called Flanders. Even though there was plenty of stone nearby, Cromwell wanted his castle to look special.
About 700,000 bricks were used to build the castle! People have said it's "the finest piece of medieval brick-work in England." This means it's one of the best examples of brick building from that time.
The Castle's Owners and Changes
From Lord Cromwell's grand castle, the tall, 130-foot Great Tower and its moat are still standing today. It's thought that the castle's main rooms were once very fancy, with huge Gothic fireplaces and beautiful tapestries on the walls. Some people even say the castle was like a fancy country house pretending to be a fortress!
Lord Cromwell died in 1456. The castle was then owned by his niece, Joan Bouchier. But after her husband passed away, the King took the castle. It stayed in the royal family, from King Edward IV to King Henry VIII.
In 1560, Sir Henry Sidney got the castle back. He then sold it to Lord Clinton, who later became the Earl of Lincoln. The Earls of Lincoln owned the castle until 1693. After that, it was passed to another family, the Fortesques, but sadly, it started to fall apart.
Saving the Castle
In 1910, Tattershall Castle was put up for sale. Its most valuable parts, the huge medieval fireplaces, were still there. An American buyer bought them and had them taken out to be shipped away!
But then, Lord Curzon of Kedleston stepped in just in time. He bought the castle and was determined to get the fireplaces back. After a big search across the country, they were found in London and returned to the castle!
Lord Curzon worked hard to restore the castle between 1911 and 1914. When he died in 1925, he gave the castle to the National Trust. Today, it's one of the most important brick castles from the 1400s still standing in the United Kingdom.
Because of his experience saving Tattershall Castle, Lord Curzon pushed for a new law in Britain to protect old buildings. This law, called the Ancient Monuments Consolidation and Amendment Act 1913, helps save important historical places.
Castle Design and Layout
Tattershall Castle is shaped like a rectangle. It has an inner moat (a ditch filled with water) and an outer moat around it. The inner area, called the Inner Ward, was where the first castle from the 1200s stood. The original entrance was on the north side.
The Castle Wards
- The Outer Ward was between the two moats. This is where the stables for horses were located.
- The Middle Ward was reached by a bridge from the Outer Ward. It had a gatehouse and a guardhouse. Today, you enter the castle through this Middle Ward.
- The Inner Ward is surrounded by the inner moat. This is where the Great Tower and the kitchens (which are no longer there) were built.
The Great Tower
The Great Tower is about 65 feet wide. It has different entrances: one for the basement, one for the ground floor (called the Parlour), and a spiral staircase for the upper floors. This suggests that the basement and ground floor were for everyone to use, while the three big rooms upstairs were private spaces for the Lord.
The tower's design was simple, with four floors. Each floor got a little bigger as the walls became slightly thinner. The huge fireplaces show that each floor was meant to be one large room. One of the four corner towers holds the staircase, while the other three provided extra rooms on each level.
Inside the Tower
- The basement was used to store spices and other food items. During the English Civil War, it's believed this area was used as a prison.
- The ground floor was the Parlour. This is where local people would come to pay their rent to the Lord.
- The first floor of the private suite was the Hall. This room would have been used to entertain guests and host fancy dinners.
- The second floor was the Audience Chamber. Only the most important guests would have been allowed into this room. Today, this room has beautiful Flemish tapestries that Lord Curzon bought.
- The third floor was the Private Chamber. This is where the Lord would have slept.
Above these floors are the roof gallery and battlements. From here, you can see amazing views of the Lincolnshire countryside, all the way to Boston in the south and Lincoln in the north. You can't go into the small corner towers today.
The brick foundations sticking out into the moat, south of the Great Tower, show where the castle's kitchens were in the 1400s.
Today, the old guardhouse (about 330 feet north-east of the tower) is the gift shop. The castle grounds are also home to several beautiful peacocks.
Visiting Tattershall Castle Today
The castle is open to visitors every day from 10:30 am, with the last entry at 3:30 pm. The Parlour room is even licensed for civil wedding ceremonies, which means people can get married there! Up to 80 guests can attend a wedding in this historic room.
