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Summary

The red brick Great Tower at the palace of the Bishops of Lincoln at Buckden dates from the late 15th century.

Monument Type(s):

• TOWER (15th century - 1401 AD to 1500 AD)

Associated Events:

• Watching brief at The Great Tower, Buckden Palace, 1995

Protected Status:

• Listed Building (I) 1130324: The Great Tower

Full description

1. Great tower of Buckden with octagonal corner turrets. The construction is or red brick with stone dressings. There is a small basement entrance to the N at basement level and a ground floor entrance with four centred arch. The windows are of stone with straight tops and one, two or three cusped lights. There is an elaborate design of blue bricks on the N side, lozenges and a cross repeated twice. In the W wall a large cross in blue bricks. A chimney breast projects from the S wall. The only surviving staircase is in the NE turret. The garderobes are in the SE turret. The structure is in good repair. Obvious signs of restoration.
2. The Great tower (50,5ft by 27ft externally) is of late C15 date and of three storeys with a basement and octagonal turrets at the angles rising above the main parapet. The walls are of red brick with stone dressings and the storeys are divided by moulded string courses; the tower is finished with a chamfered plinth and embattled parapet. The building has been entirely gutted and the vaulting of the basement removed; it formerly contained some twelve rooms including the parlour and the King's Chamber above it. The S face of the tower is partly obscured by ivy; it has a projecting chimney stack, partly restored. Against the SE turret is an octagonal chimney stack with concave faces. The NE and NW turrets contained staircases, but that in the NE turret only remains. The basement, now filled in with earth, except a portion at the E end was vaulted in brick, from NS. The turrets communicate with the tower at the various levels by doorways with four centred heads some having moulded jambs and arches. For a more detailed description see 2.
5. Late C15 tower recently restored by the Claretian Mission. Red brick with burnt brick diapering and patterning. Limestone dressings. Three storeys with basement and four octagonal, embattled turrets at angles rising above the main parapet. Moulded string courses between floors; chamfered plinth. Windows of one, two, and three lights with cinquefoiled lights in square heads and moulded labels at ground and first floors, and basement. The doorway to the basement has an inner and outer arch, the doorway to the ground floor is approached by steps and has a four centred arch and label. The interior has 20th century inserted floors. The NE turret has a stone staircase, partly restored, with moulded stone hand rail and stone newel. SE turret has recesses for garderobes. The fireplace at ground floor has four centred arch. The first floor fireplace is plastered brick. Doorways to the turrets at each floor level have four centred heads.
8. A watching brief was carried out on groundworks around the Great Tower. External excavations for drains revealed a high degree of post-medieval disturbance of the east of the Tower. A possible construction trench was observed in section by the south west corner turret. Inside the basement three drain trenches allowed examination of the internal face of the eastern wall. This revealed at least two phases of construction and alteration work probably dating to the late fifteenth and early nineteenth centuries. No certain pre-Tower features were revealed.

Sweeney, M.A., 1990, A History of Buckden Towers (Serial). SCB20163.

<1> Untitled Source (Bibliographic reference). SCB9705.

<2> Page, W. and Proby, G. (eds), 1926, The Victoria County History of Huntingdonshire. Volume 1, p. 37 (ill) (Bibliographic reference). SCB14952.

<3> DOE (IAM) (Unpublished document). SCB5265.

<4> DOE, Aug 1946, DOE (HHR) St Neots RD (Unpublished document). SCB5183.

<5> DOE, 03/06/1985, DOE Resurvey St Neots RD, 38, 03/06/1985 5/25 (Unpublished document). SCB18206.

<6> Page, W., Proby, G and Inskip Ladds, S., 1932, The Victoria County History of Huntingdonshire. Volume 2, p. 260-4 (Bibliographic reference). SCB12071.

<7> Pevsner, N., 1968, The Buildings of England. Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Peterborough, 215-6 (Bibliographic reference). SCB11224.

<8> Dickens, A., 1996, A Recording brief at The Great Tower, Buckden Palace, Buckden, Cambridgeshire (Unpublished report). SCB18204.

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