Mettingham Castle

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Gatehouse of Mettingham Castle

Mettingham Castle is a ruined castle in the village of Mettingham in the English county of Suffolk .

Details

Mettingham Castle was built at the behest of Sir John de Norwich , who in 1342 received royal permission to fortify his mansion (English: License to Crenellate). The first house was surrounded by a small moat that was up to 5 meters wide and 2 meters deep. As soon as he had permission to fortify this, he had another wing built to the north of the house, which was also surrounded by a ditch. Access was from the north. Another tract with a trench was added later in the south. A gatehouse in Edwardian style formed the entrance to the castle and was built into a stone curtain wall that enclosed the property. In 1562 there were “stables, accommodation for the servants, kitchens, a bakery, a brewery, a malt house, storage building and a knight's hall with wings” within the castle walls.

A floor plan of the castle from the end of the 19th century

The castle remained in the hands of the De Norwich family until 1394 , when it was given to a college of secular canons from the nearby village of Norton , who settled in the castle's small moated courtyard. The monks taught up to 13 students in the castle. After the dissolution of the English monasteries , the property was successively sold to a number of private individuals after 1542. Most of the castle was demolished in the 18th century to make way for a new farm on the site. This farmhouse stood until 1880 and was then demolished again. Parts of the original medieval masonry were built into this house.

Today the site is a Scheduled Monument and is listed as Grade II Historic Building by English Heritage . The gatehouse is still preserved, as are some of the stone walls and many of the surrounding moats and earthworks . A major renovation project was undertaken in the 21st century to repair worsening damage and was funded with £ 330,000 from English Heritage.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c J. D. Mackenzie: Castles of England . Macmillan, New York 1896. p. 283.
  2. ^ A b c J. C. Wall: Ancient Earthworks in William Page (editor): The Victoria History of Suffolk . Volume 1. University of London, London 1911. p. 621.
  3. ^ JD Mackenzie: Castles of England . Macmillan, New York 1896. p. 284.
  4. ↑ a b c Mettingham Castle . Pastscape. Historic England. English Heritage. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  5. ↑ a b Mettingham Castle , Historic England. English Heritage. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  6. ^ JD Mackenzie: Castles of England . Macmillan, New York 1896. p. 285.
  7. ^ Mettingham Castle , Gatehouse Gazetteer. Retrieved July 19, 2016. 
Koordinaten: 52° 26′ 41,3″ N, 1° 28′ 17″ O