Wilton Castle (Redcar and Cleveland) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wilton Castle |
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| General information | |
| Type | Former mansion, now residential apartments |
| Location | Wilton, Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 54°34′8″N 1°6′5″W / 54.56889°N 1.10139°W |
| Completed | early 19th-century |
| Landlord | Wilton Castle Management Company Ltd |
| Designations | Grade II listed |
Wilton Castle is a large house built in the early 1800s. It stands where an old medieval castle once was. Today, this grand building in Wilton, North Yorkshire, England, has been turned into fancy apartments.
It is officially recognized as a Grade II listed building. This means it is an important historical building that needs to be protected.
Contents
The Story of Wilton Castle
Early Days and First Fortifications
The land where Wilton Castle stands was first recorded in the Domesday Book. This was a big survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror. Later, the Bulmer family became the owners of Wilton.
Around the late 1000s, the Bulmer family built a wooden manor house here. A manor house was a large country house, the main residence of a lord. In 1170, Sir Ralph de Bulmer officially owned the estate.
In 1210, King John gave William de Bulmer permission to make his manor house stronger. This meant they could build with stone and make it look more like a castle. This was the start of the first fortified castle on this spot.
Changes Under the Bulmer Family
In 1330, another Sir Ralph de Bulmer got a special document from King Edward III. This document confirmed he owned the estate. Sir Ralph made more changes to the building. He also got permission from King Edward III to turn the manor house into a proper castle.
However, the Bulmer family faced trouble later. In 1537, Sir John and Lady Bulmer were involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace. This was a protest against King Henry VIII's decision to break away from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of their involvement, they lost their property, including Wilton estate.
The estate was later given back to their nephew, Sir Ralph de Bulmer, by King Edward VI in 1547.
New Owners and the Castle's Decline
In 1558, Queen Mary I gave the estate to Sir Thomas Cornwallis. The property stayed in his family for many years. Eventually, it passed to his great-grandson, Lord Charles Cornwallis, in 1698.
Lord Cornwallis sold the estate in the early 1700s to Sir Stephen Fox. Sir Stephen's son later became the Earl of Ilchester. He sold the estate in 1748.
The estate was then bought for James Lowther, who was a member of Parliament. He became the first Earl of Lonsdale in 1784. When he passed away in 1802, his title ended.
Demolition and Rebuilding Wilton Castle
By 1805, the old castle was mostly a ruin. It had been left to fall apart. Around 1806, Sir John Lowther, a cousin, bought the estate.
Sir John Lowther decided to tear down what was left of the medieval castle in 1807. In 1810, he built a grand new mansion on the same spot. This new house was designed by a famous architect, Sir Robert Smirke.
The first part of the new "castle" included a central section and a west wing. Later, an octagonal (eight-sided) tower was added to the east wing. The design looked like a Gothic castle, with a large front, a tall central tower, and smaller towers and wings. Sir John Lowther was given the title of a Baronet in 1824.
The Iron Industry and Further Changes
The discovery of iron ore in the Eston hills in 1850 brought a lot of money to the area. The Lowther family owned this land. They rented some of their farmland to a company called Bolckow and Vaughan for a large sum of money. This new wealth helped pay for more changes to the castle.
Sir Charles Hugh Lowther, 3rd Baronet, inherited the family title in 1868. By 1887, the entire east wing, including the octagonal tower, was removed. It was replaced with new rooms, including a large ballroom. This created the building we see today.
Old farmhouses and other buildings on the estate were also rebuilt for tenants. A new village of Wilton was built out of sight of the castle. Even the main road was moved further away from the castle's front.
When the third Baronet died in 1894, his grandson inherited the title. However, the Wilton Castle estate went to his younger son, James Lowther. James Lowther passed away at Wilton in 1904 and left the castle to his nephew, Colonel John George Lowther.
Wilton Castle After the Wars
In 1945, Colonel Lowther sold the estate, including Wilton Castle, to Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). In 1946, ICI staff moved into the castle to plan for building a large chemical factory on the estate.
The castle itself was used as offices for ICI because it was hard to build new offices at that time. Famous business leaders like Dr Richard Beeching and Sir John Harvey Jones worked there. As new offices were built, staff moved out of the castle. By 1969, many offices in the castle were empty, but it still had dining areas and rooms for visitors.
In 1970, ICI made more changes inside the castle. They asked a company called Trust House to manage the facilities. The park around the castle was turned into a golf course for ICI staff. The golf course was sold in 1999.
Between 2001 and 2002, Wilton Castle was changed again by George Wimpey Ltd. It was converted into 45 luxury apartments and houses, which is how it is used today.
What Remains Today
There are no visible parts left of the original 1210 building. However, some internal walls on the east side of the entrance are very thick. People believe these might have been part of the original tower.
Wilton Castle was given Grade II listed building status in 1952. This means it is an important historical building. Besides the castle itself, the old stable block, a garden wall, and a retaining wall nearby are also Grade II listed.
