Monument Type(s):

• CASTLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• FORTIFIED HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
• TOWER (13th century - 1200 AD? to 1299 AD?)
• FARMHOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1901 AD)

Summary

Scheduled Monument and Grade II Listed Building: The remains of a 13th century mural tower belonging to Holdgate Castle, with a 16th century farmhouse built onto it.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA4577 - 1994 site visit as part of Listed Buildings Resurvey

Description

Date First Listed 12/11/54. No of Structures 1 Farmhouse with vestiges of castle. C16 with medieval vestiges (late C13 or early C14), C19 alterations and C20 restoration. Sandstone ashlar. To rear the lower 2 storeys of a round tower of the medieval castle built under a conical roof. South east front: 6 C20 Tudor style windows on each storey and restored dormers. INTERIOR: Good timber framed and lath and plaster walls, and fine roof timbers. Type of Inspection P <2>

Within the Scheduled area of Holdgate Castle. From the 1995 scheduling description: ->

->In the north west quarter of [the north] bailey and included within the scheduling, is a large semicircular mural tower believed to be 13th century in date. It is built into the rear of the later farmhouse and is of ashlar construction with narrow slit windows and a conical, tiled roof. Access to the interior of the tower is from the interior of the farmhouse, though it is not presently used for any purpose <3>

Farmhouse incorporating remains of castle. C16 with medieval vestiges (late C13 or early C14) , C19 alterations and C20 restoration. Sandstone ashlar rear, coursed rubble front with ashlar dressings, and stone rubble. Plain-tile roof with conical roof-end over tower wing. 2 integral stone ridge stacks and brick stack all with brick shafts, integral brick gable-end stack to north-east, projecting brick stack to gable-end to south-west.
PLAN: rectangular plan with rear wing consisting of the lower 2 storeys of a semicircular castle tower, and end extension wing.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys, attic and cellar. South-east front is a 2-storey, 6-window range of C20 Tudor-style twin-mullion windows over twin-mullion and transom windows. 3 restored 2-light gabled dormers. Entrance door to centre right with top-light, C20 boarded door to left in segmental-arched opening. Single-storey extension wing to left with three 3-centred arches of differing widths and with C20 infilling. Right return gable: ashlar wall with 3-light attic casement to left. Left return gable: stone rubble wall with C20 attic casement, otherwise covered by single-storey extension wing. Rear: to centre right is projecting wing of former castle tower. Curved ashlar blocks on battered plinth with 3 thin arrow-slits at lower floor and 3 chamfered glazed slits above. Casement at each storey to right side of wing. To right is a stone rubble wall with 3-light casement at upper floor over 2 single-light casements. To left is a mostly ashlar 4-window range: 2 casements to left; 2 wood mullion and transom windows to right, one with leaded lights; 2 C20 2--light ground-floor windows, that to left with transom; C20 casement in cellar.
INTERIOR: square-framed internal partitions, large open fireplace in hall. Chamfered bridging beams: those in hall with faceted stops, the kitchen has concave stops, the parlour has ogee stops. Fine roof timbers. Arched tower doorway. Tower reputedly attributed to Bishop Robert Burnell, Chancellor of England, who bought the castle in 1284, probably as a replacement for the old castle to the south-west. The castle was fortified in the civil war and besieged and heavily damaged by the Royalists in 1644. <4>

The house is grafted onto the remaining round tower of Holdgate Castle and was probably built from salvaged stones in the C17, but there are timber-framed partitions inside suggestive of a screens-passage plan. The bay to the NE is dated 1763 and appears to be an extension. Reproduction of mid C19 print. <5>

Photographed during aerial survey in 2009. <6>

Photographed during aerial survey in 2019. <7>

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.