Someries Castle

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The ruins of Someries Castle

Someries Castle (also Summeries Castle ) is a ruined castle in the parish of Hyde near Luton in the English administrative division of Central Bedfordshire . The castle was built in the 15th century by order of John Wenlock, 1st Baron Wenlock , whose spirit is said to still reside in the walls today. The ruin, which is now a Scheduled Monument , wasn't actually a castle, just a fortified mansion .

The name “Someries Castle” is derived from William de Someries , who had his seat there, but the name “Castle” is controversial because it hardly describes the building to which it is applied.

Wenlock acquired the site in 1430 and construction of the house began immediately. It is considered one of the first brick buildings in England. Wenlock was never able to finish the house and in the 18th century it was partially destroyed. The masonry can still be seen in the remains of the gatehouse , which have been preserved to this day and contain a chapel and a lodge.

Ruins of Someries Castle in Central Bedfordshire

Of the remains of the original manor house or the former Norman castle, only earthworks around the former location are visible today . The remains of the gatehouse of the actual manor house and the chapel that was connected to it are also partly still standing. Some of the building blocks of the manor house were used to build nearby farms in the 17th century.

The house was closed to the public in February 2007 so that it could be secured. The scaffolding used for this damaged the original masonry. The house has been open again since 2008.

Individual references and comments

  1. ^ Someries Castle . Gatehouse Gazetteer. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  2. ↑ Russell Ash: Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain . Reader's Digest, 1973. ISBN 978-0-340165-97-3 . P. 278.
  3. ^ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England . Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2002. ISBN 0-300-09581-3 . Chapter: Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough .
  4. ↑ The writer Joseph Conrad lived on a neighboring farm from 1907 to 1909 while he was writing the novel Under Western Eyes .

literature

  • TP Smith: Someries Castle in Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal . Volume 3 (1966). Pp. 35-51.
  • TP Smith: Someries Castle: some reconsiderations in Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal . Issue 5 (1970). Pp. 109-112.
  • TP Smith: The early brickwork of Someries Castle, Bedfordshire and its place in the history of English brick building in Journal of the British Archaeological Association . Issue 129 (1976). Pp. 42-58.

Web links

Commons : Someries Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 52 '8 "  N , 0 ° 22' 33"  W.