Another Visit to Herefordshire - Part 1: Stokesay Castle

 

Monday was a lovely day and, as Stokesay Castle is less than 40 minutes away,  I had promised D we would return. 

To reach the castle from the car park you walk through the churchyard of St John the Baptist.

In the grounds of Stokesay there was a grass bank full of cowslips.

Stokesay Castle is one of the earliest and also one of the finest examples of a fortified manor house in England.

Many of the buildings that you can see today were built by Laurence of Ludlow, one of the richest wool merchants in England, in the 1280's and early 1290's.  Its military appearance is superficial as it would not have withstood a siege although the defences were enough to keep out robbers. Laurence of Ludlow's descendants lived in the house for around 350 years. The castle walls were demolished during The Civil War in the 1640's. The buildings fell into decay in the 18th century and were  bought and restored by John Derby Allcroft, a glovemaker. The property is now in the care of English Heritage.

The very impressive Gatehouse was built 1640/41 by Lord Craven - one of Laurence's descendents.  At ground level the walls are close studded and also show the regional style of timber framing.  Lintels and brackets are decorated with men and women, angels, demons and Adam and Eve.

The Stokesay Dragon.

Mason marks in the gatehouse.

There is a small but pretty little garden.  When we visited before D took a photo from the tower and the garden formed the shape of a key - a reference to the legend of the two Giants of Stokesay.

The Legend of the Giants of Stokesay Castle

Stokesay Castle is surrounded by hills - two of which are known as View Edge and Norton Camp.  Two giants who may have been brothers once lived on these two hilltops. They kept their hoard of money in a locked chest in the vaults of the castle and shared the key.  The key was thrown between the hills depending on which giant had it in their possession and who needed to use it. One day one of the giants didn't aim very well and the key fell short of its target landing in the  water filled castle moat.  The giants searched and searched but could not find the key and to this day the key has never been found.  Hidden somewhere in the castle is a locked chest of treasure guarded by a raven.

The Solar block (to the left), Great Hall in the centre and the North Tower to the right.

The interior of the Great Hall built 1270/1280 is very impressive  with its cruck roof.  Dendrochronology has dated the timbers used to the 1280's.  Laurence of Ludlow would have dined here with his family and guests.

Medieval tiles on the first floor.  (I didn't go up to the second floor this time as the stairs are a bit steep and to be honest I had developed a swollen foot and ankle which was making me even unsteadier on my feet than usual).

The solar was renovated and re-furbished in the  17th century and the very impressive carved over mantel dates from this period.  It is divided by pilasters into four squares.

First floor of the South Tower.

 

South Tower - B and D went up to the top where apparently the views are superb.

There is a lovely walk round the moat although you can't get all the way round at the moment as there is scaffolding on the north tower.

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I'll write about the nearby church of St John the Baptist in a future post together with a brief visit to St Mary, Eardisland but the next post will cover the picturesque village of Eardisland.

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

*D Photos taken by D with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera and rest of photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera.

Reference: English Heritage Guide Book to Stokesay Castle

"These Our Monsters - The English Heritage Book of New Folklore, Myth and Legend"