Yarmouth Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yarmouth Castle |
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| Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, England | |
Yarmouth Castle, seen from the north-west
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 Yarmouth Castle
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| Coordinates | 50°42′24″N 1°30′01″W / 50.706667°N 1.500278°W |
| Type | Device fort |
| Site information | |
| Owner | English Heritage |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1547 |
| Events | |
| Official name | Yarmouth Castle |
| Designated | 9 October 1981 |
| Reference no. | 1009391 |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 28 March 1984 |
| Reference no. | 1292631 |
Yarmouth Castle is an old artillery fort built by King Henry VIII. It was finished in 1547. The castle was made to protect Yarmouth Harbour on the Isle of Wight. This was important because of possible attacks from France.
The castle is almost 100 feet (30 m) wide and is square-shaped. It first had 15 cannons and 20 soldiers. It was special because it had an "arrow-head" bastion on the side facing land. This was a new design for forts in England.
Over the years, the castle was kept up and changed. The part facing the sea became a strong platform for guns. More rooms were built for the fort's gunners. A bulwark (a strong wall) was added on the east side. Another gun battery was put on the town's quay (dock).
During the English Civil War in the 1640s, Parliament's side held the castle. After the war, Charles II made it strong again in the 1670s. The fort was used through the 1700s and 1800s. It had fewer soldiers and guns then. In 1885, the soldiers and guns were removed.
Later, it was a coast guard signal post. It was used by the military again in the First and Second World Wars. Today, English Heritage looks after the castle. It is a popular place for tourists to visit.
Contents
History of Yarmouth Castle
Building the Castle
Yarmouth Castle was built because of problems between England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire. This was happening during the last years of King Henry VIII's rule. Usually, local lords protected the coast. The King did not build many forts.
But in 1533, Henry VIII broke away from the Pope. He wanted to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This made France and the Empire become allies against England. The Pope even told them to attack England. So, in 1539, Henry ordered new forts to be built. These were called "devices".
The danger passed for a bit, but came back in 1544. France threatened to invade England. So, Henry ordered more forts to be built. These new forts were mainly along the south coast.
The town of Yarmouth might have been attacked by the French in 1543. This attack likely led to the castle being built there. It was part of the second group of Device Forts. The fort helped protect the main crossing from the Isle of Wight to the mainland. It also worked with other forts in the Solent area.
Yarmouth Castle was a square fort for cannons. It had a central courtyard. An "arrow-head" bastion protected the land side. It first had three large cannons and twelve smaller guns. These guns fired from openings along the sea side. A small group of soldiers lived there. This included a master gunner, a porter, and 17 soldiers. Richard Udall was the first captain. The soldiers lived in the town nearby.
George Mills built the castle. Richard Worsley, the Captain of the Island, was in charge. The land belonged to the King. It might have been where a church was destroyed in 1543. Henry had closed down monasteries a few years before. Stone from Quarr Abbey was probably used to build the castle. It was finished by 1547. Mills was paid £1,000 for his work.
Early Years and Changes
When Roman Catholic Queen Mary I became queen, things changed. Worsley was replaced in 1553. Udall was executed in 1555 for trying to overthrow the Queen. But when Protestant Elizabeth I became queen in 1558, peace was made with France. England then worried more about Spain.
Elizabeth put Worsley back in charge. He made big changes to the castle. Worsley filled in half of the courtyard. This made a solid platform for cannons. It could hold eight heavy guns. These guns had a clear view over the sea. He probably also built the Master Gunner's House.
However, in 1586, an inspection showed the fort was in bad shape. Work costing £50 was done in 1587. This included building an earth bulwark next to the castle. It was for more guns. The next year, the Spanish Armada tried to invade England. After that, more repairs were done. By 1599, the castle needed expensive repairs. It was still seen as a key defence for the Solent.
The Castle in the 1600s
Yarmouth Castle stayed an important military place. It was a fort, a transport spot, and a storage area. The repairs needed in 1599 were done in the early 1600s. Another £300 was spent on Yarmouth Castle and nearby Sandown Castle in 1609. This included adding two angled buttresses to the walls facing the sea.
In 1623, the castle's captain, John Burley, reported problems. He said there were only four gunners and the captain. The buildings were "ruined" and needed fixing. Similar worries were raised in 1625 and 1629. Ideas for a half-moon battery were not used. But in 1632, the parapets (low walls) were made taller. More rooms and a long storage room were built inside. Some stone for this might have come from Sandown Castle.
The English Civil War started in 1642. This was a fight between King Charles I and Parliament. At first, Captain Barnaby Burley, a relative of John, held the castle for the King. He was a strong Royalist. He had only a few soldiers. Burley agreed to surrender. The castle stayed under Parliament's control.
Later, during the time without a king (the Interregnum), the army grew. The castle's soldiers increased from 30 to 70. This was because they worried about a Royalist attack from Jersey. Most soldiers lived outside the castle. This cost about £78 a year. In 1655, the army was made smaller to save money.
When Charles II became King again in 1660, he let most of the army go. The next year, the soldiers at Yarmouth were told to leave. The King said the castle's cannons would go to Cowes Castle. This would happen unless Yarmouth town paid to run the castle. The town said no. But Charles offered again in 1666. This time, Yarmouth seemed to agree. They put four soldiers in the castle. But they did not assign an officer. They also did not fix the old, broken castle.
The King took over the castle again in 1670. Robert Holmes, the new Captain of the Isle of Wight, brought some guns back. The castle was made strong again. A new battery was put on the nearby quay. But the old earth walls were removed. The moat was filled in. Holmes built a large house next to the castle. He hosted the King there three times.
In 1688, Charles's brother, James II, faced a big revolt. There was a chance of invasion by William of Orange. Holmes supported James. But he could not control Yarmouth Castle for the King. The local people and soldiers sided with William.
From 1700s to Today
Yarmouth Castle continued to be used. Records from 1718 and 1760 show it had eight 6-pounder guns and five 9-pounder guns. These were on the castle and quay platforms. During this time, a captain and six gunners likely worked there. Local volunteer soldiers also helped. In the early 1700s, Holmes's house was rebuilt. It looks like it does today.
By the 1700s, Yarmouth Harbour had filled with mud. New buildings also changed it. This made the anchorage (where ships could safely stop) less useful. The castle's design was also old-fashioned.
In 1813, during the Napoleonic Wars, the parapet was changed. The Crimean War caused new worries about invasion. So, in 1855, the south coast of England was made stronger. Yarmouth Castle was repaired a lot that year. Four naval guns and their moving rails were put on the castle platform. A regular army unit was placed there. In 1881, there was a plan to update the whole fort. But this was not approved. In 1885, the soldiers and guns were taken away.
The coastguard started using the castle in 1898. It was a signal station. In 1901, the War Department gave the castle to the Commissioners of Woods and Forests. In 1912, parts of the castle were rented to the Pier Hotel. This hotel included Robert Holmes's old house. The Pier Hotel later became the George Hotel. It still uses part of the old castle moat.
The Office of Works took over the castle in 1913. They did many repairs. The military used it in both the First and Second World Wars. It stopped being used by the military in the 1950s.
Today, English Heritage runs Yarmouth Castle. It is a place for tourists to visit. In 2010, 9,007 people visited. It is protected by UK law as a Grade I listed building. It is also a scheduled monument.
What Yarmouth Castle Looks Like
Castle Design and Features
Yarmouth Castle is a square fort, almost 100 feet (30 m) across. It has an arrow-head bastion on the side facing land. The north and west walls face the sea. They are protected by angled buttresses. A 10-metre (33 ft) wide moat (ditch) used to protect the south and east sides. But this moat has now been filled in. The castle's 16th-century bulwark and its quay battery are also gone.
The castle walls are mostly made of ashlar stone. Some red brick is used on the south side. The walls have a few gunloops (openings for guns). These include openings in the "ears" of the bastion. They would have looked over the moat. When first built, the castle had buildings around a courtyard. But the southern half was filled in soon after. This made a solid platform for heavy guns. It was made taller again in the 1600s.
The top wall (parapet) is now covered with grass. It has rounded corners from the 1800s. The platform still has the rails for the four naval guns. These rails are from 1855. A small room built on the platform has since been destroyed.
The arrow-head shape of the bastion was a new idea. It came from Italy in the 1500s. Older castles built by Henry VIII had round bastions. These were to avoid weak spots. But an arrow-head design helped defenders fire better at attackers. Yarmouth was one of the first forts in Europe to use this design. It was the first in England.
Inside the Castle Walls
The living areas and other rooms are on the south side. On the ground floor, the entrance leads to a courtyard. This courtyard connects to four barrel-vaulted rooms. These are in the south-west corner. They were built in the 1600s for the soldiers. Two of these rooms became magazines (for storing gunpowder). The fittings for one of these are still there.
In the south-east corner is the Master Gunner's House. It has a parlour, a hall, and a kitchen on the ground floor. There is a chamber and an attic upstairs. The parlour and hall were once separated by a screen. The chamber was also divided. On the first floor, there is a small room. It is supported by arches over the courtyard. This room was used for lodging. On the second floor, the Long Room is above the vaulted rooms. Its huge, original roof is still intact.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Yarmouth para niños
