Christchurch Castle
| Christchurch Castle | |
|
Hampshire | |
|---|---|
 The walls of Christchurch Castle's keep | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SZ160926 |
| Location: | 50°43’59"N, 1°46’28"W |
| Town: | Christchurch |
| History | |
| Built 1160 | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | English Heritage |
| Garrison: | Ruins |
| Website: | Christchurch Castle and Norman House |
Christchurch Castle is a ruined mediæval castle in Christchurch on the south coast of Hampshire. It stands on the point of land between the final, tidal reaches of the River Avon and the River Stour, which meet here before entering Christchurch Harbour.
The earliest stonework has been dated to 1160. It is a Norman motte and bailey castle. The castle's site though is inside the old Saxon burh dominating the River Avon's lowest crossing.
The Constable's House standing adjacent to the castle was added at around 1160 and is a rare and notable example of a Norman domestic dwelling.
Today the site is in the care of English Heritage. The bailey provides the space for a bowling green and gardens, and the ditch has been filled but parts of the keep and much of the constable's house still stand.
Castle
The castle is believed to stand on the site of an earlier wooden fort built in 924 AD following the capture of the town ramparts in 901 by Prince Aethelwold of Wessex and subsequently fortified with a motte by Edward the Elder.[1]
After the Norman conquest of 1066 the castle's defences were strengthened by the addition of a ditch and bailey surrounded by a wooden pallisade. The wooden fort was eventually replaced with a stone keep. The Norman castle was a strategic defensive structure controlled by the king's constable until King Henry I (1100–1135) granted it as the caput of a feudal barony to his cousin Richard de Redvers (d.1107), feudal baron of Plympton, Devon.[2] The Saxon defences had been against outside threats such as Viking raiders, the Norman fortress was more concerned with subduing the local populace. It was also a useful base for enforcing the New Forest Laws. The castle controlled the harbour and inland access by way of the Rivers Avon and Stour.
The earliest masonry has been dated to c.1160, there is documentary evidence of the castle existing in c.1130 Richard de Redvers is often named has the castle's first builder, although there is little documentary evidence of this and this castle may well have been on the site of the earlier Saxon castle. The castle was rebuilt by Baldwin de Redvers to resist King Stephen during the civil war with the Empress Matilda in 1147. A great tower was built probably around 1300.
The castle again saw action during the Civil War of 1642-51. The Parliamentarians were allowed to take control of the castle in 1644. The Royalists laid siege to it for 3 days, demolishing houses on the corner of Church Street and Castle Street in order to site their cannons. The Royalists were unable to take the castle and Cromwell fearing such a powerful stronghold, ordered it to be slighted in 1652.[1]
The castle is now in ruins, a couple of the keep walls remain and the remains of a rectangular moat.
Constable's House
Near the castle itself is a domestic Norman dwelling, known as the Constable's House, which was built within the original castle bailey in 1160. Much of the stonework survives, including a rare example of a Norman chimney (one of only five in the country). The stone used for construction was Purbeck Marble.[3]
The ground floor which has four slit windows was used as a storeroom. The upper floor accessed by steps outside and an internal staircase contained the main hall. It is 67 by 23 feet in size.[3] As well as the chimney, another notable feature is the garderobe tower which extends over the mill stream added in the early 13th century to provide sanitary arrangements.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Christchurch Castle) |
- Location:
- Location map: 50°44’1"N, 1°46’29"W
- Streetmap: SZ160927
- Christchurch Castle and Norman House
- National Monuments Record: No. 458553 – Christchurch Castle
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Moxey, Sarah (1997). Avon Valley Footpath Guide. Halsgrove. pp. 87–90. ISBN 978-1-874448-26-6..
- ↑ Sanders, Ian. English Baronies, Oxford, 1960, p.112, Probable Baronies, Christchurch
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Hampshire & The Isle of Wight, 1967 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09606-4, pages 177–178
- Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The David & Charles Book of Castles, David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3
