Wingfield Castle
Encyclopedia
Wingfield Castle, Wingfield
, Suffolk
, England
was the ancestral home of the Wingfield family and their heirs, the De La Poles, Earls and Dukes of Suffolk
, but is now a private house.
In 1384 records show that Michael de la Pole
applied for royal permit, to castellate his manor house
. The need for the old feudal castle had already ceased to exist by this time and Kings were not pleased to see such strongholds built, so Wingfield Castle is a cross between a feudal fortress and the ordinary moated manor house.
Wingfield Castle passed into the hands of the Catelyn family from Norwich
. By 1702 a Sir Neville Catelyn had died there and his widow carried the manor to her second husband Sir Charles Turner of Warham. Lord Berners sold the Castle in 1886 to the Adair family. Lady Darrell, a descendant of Lord Berners, sold the Castle in 1981 to a Mr. Wingrove. Two years later it was sold to a Mr. Gerald Fairhurst who spent time in refurbishing it prior to its sale to a London businessman in 1987 and in 1989 it was again sold, this time to a barrister Mr. Michael Lyndon Stanford and his young family. The Lyndon Stanford's still occupy the castle to this day.
The old Manor House and part of the fortifications were dismantled in 1510 and the present domestic quarters were constructed in about 1540 in the south west corner of the remaining fortifications. At that time the existing Tudor brick merlons on top of the south curtain wall were added.
The south facing battlement wall rises to a height of 42 feet (12.8 m) above the moat, and is 45 - 50 inches thick. The entrance gateway is approached over a bridge, which still bears the grooves of the former gate, drawbridge and portcullis. The walls are built of flint cobbles with stone for the coigns and windows. The plan of the site is quadrilateral, almost square, the west side being a little longer than the east, an enclosure of about an acre and a half. Besides the almost perfect front, the foundations of the north and east walls and two more towers are traceable. A brick bridge now leads up to the noble gatehouse where the fine depressed pointed archway, deeply recessed and moulded, still shows the portcullis groove and the old oak gates. On either side of the archway are sculptured stone panels depicting the coat of arms of de Wingfield and de la Pole.
The two main towers rise to a height of 60 feet (18.3 m) and the octagonal corner towers rise to 50 feet (15.2 m). The whole castle wall was apparently intact at the beginning of the 20th century, but the north and east walls had been demolished by 1945. A drawbridge still spans the eastern side of the moat. It has been extensively reconstructed, but retains some of the original timbers.
Wingfield, Suffolk
Wingfield is a village in the English county of Suffolk. It is found east of Diss, signposted off B1118, near Eye.Wingfield Castle, which is now a private house, was for many centuries the home of the Wingfield family and their heirs, the De La Poles, Earls and Dukes of Suffolk...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
was the ancestral home of the Wingfield family and their heirs, the De La Poles, Earls and Dukes of Suffolk
Duke of Suffolk
Duke of Suffolk is a title that has been created three times in British history, all three times in the Peerage of England.The third creation of the dukedom of Suffolk was for Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, in 1551. The duke also held the title Baron Ferrers of Groby...
, but is now a private house.
In 1384 records show that Michael de la Pole
Michael de la Pole
Michael de la Pole may refer to:* Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk * Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk * Michael de la Pole, 3rd Earl of Suffolk...
applied for royal permit, to castellate his manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
. The need for the old feudal castle had already ceased to exist by this time and Kings were not pleased to see such strongholds built, so Wingfield Castle is a cross between a feudal fortress and the ordinary moated manor house.
Wingfield Castle passed into the hands of the Catelyn family from Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. By 1702 a Sir Neville Catelyn had died there and his widow carried the manor to her second husband Sir Charles Turner of Warham. Lord Berners sold the Castle in 1886 to the Adair family. Lady Darrell, a descendant of Lord Berners, sold the Castle in 1981 to a Mr. Wingrove. Two years later it was sold to a Mr. Gerald Fairhurst who spent time in refurbishing it prior to its sale to a London businessman in 1987 and in 1989 it was again sold, this time to a barrister Mr. Michael Lyndon Stanford and his young family. The Lyndon Stanford's still occupy the castle to this day.
The old Manor House and part of the fortifications were dismantled in 1510 and the present domestic quarters were constructed in about 1540 in the south west corner of the remaining fortifications. At that time the existing Tudor brick merlons on top of the south curtain wall were added.
The south facing battlement wall rises to a height of 42 feet (12.8 m) above the moat, and is 45 - 50 inches thick. The entrance gateway is approached over a bridge, which still bears the grooves of the former gate, drawbridge and portcullis. The walls are built of flint cobbles with stone for the coigns and windows. The plan of the site is quadrilateral, almost square, the west side being a little longer than the east, an enclosure of about an acre and a half. Besides the almost perfect front, the foundations of the north and east walls and two more towers are traceable. A brick bridge now leads up to the noble gatehouse where the fine depressed pointed archway, deeply recessed and moulded, still shows the portcullis groove and the old oak gates. On either side of the archway are sculptured stone panels depicting the coat of arms of de Wingfield and de la Pole.
The two main towers rise to a height of 60 feet (18.3 m) and the octagonal corner towers rise to 50 feet (15.2 m). The whole castle wall was apparently intact at the beginning of the 20th century, but the north and east walls had been demolished by 1945. A drawbridge still spans the eastern side of the moat. It has been extensively reconstructed, but retains some of the original timbers.