Astley Castle, Warwickshire

D spotted on Saturday morning that Astley Castle in North Warwickshire was open for Heritage Weekend.  We've visited before but D has never been when it is open and you can access the castle itself.

Depending on what source you use! This is either a restored coach house or a Gothick Stable Block c1765.

 

Today Astley Castle is looked after by the Landmark Trust - a charity that rescues historic buildings and gives them a new lease of life by restoring them and letting them out for self catering holidays.

Astley Castle, a fortified manor house rather than a true castle,  has a moat, gateway and curtain walls as well as the castle remains.  It is Grade II and is a Scheduled Monument.

It has connections with three Queens of England. Firstly, Elizabeth Woodville, wife of young Edward IV. She was the widow of Sir John Grey who was killed in 1461 at the Battle of St Albans. She lived at Astley with her two sons. Sir John's estates were taken by the Crown and Edward fell in love with when she pleaded with him for the estates to be returned. Secondly, Elizabeth of York who married Henry VII and thirdly to Lady Jane Grey who was crowned in 1553 and reigned for just 9 days before being executed.

It is a medieval "castle" built in the C13th by the Astley family who held the manor.  Sir Thomas Astley founded a chantry in the nearby parish church and later converted this into a small college for the secular clergy who prayed for the souls of the deceased of his family and also distributed alms to the local poor (we will visit the church in the next post).  Sir Thomas also built a new church next to the castle.

Sir William Astley died in 1420 and left no male heirs and so the estate passed to his daughter Joan who then passed it onto her husband's son Sir Edward Grey.

Between 1600 and 1674 the Chamberlaine family lived at Astley. They refurbished it and made alterations to the church.  It was garrisoned by Parliamentarian troops in the mid 1640's.

In 1674 the castle was bought by Richard Newdigate a prosperous lawyer who lived on the nearby Arbury Estate.

Astley was requisitioned by the army in World War Two and was used as a home where soldiers could recuperate. After it was left empty.

In 1953 the castle was turned into a hotel but after the lease expired the castle was gutted by fire in 1978.

The Landmark Trust took over the castle and consolidated most of the castle ruins and part of the castle was turned into a self catering holiday apartment.  It was a bit "too peopley" when D and I visited so we didn't look at the apartment but I did visit with B a few years back for Heritage Week and we had a look then.  It is expensive to book but it does house quite a few people and is very luxurious.  There is a huge open plan lounge, kitchen and dining area on the first floor with stunning views.

D and I did have a good look round the ruins and grounds though.

Astley is within "George Eliot" country. In the 19th century the author George Eliot grew up on the estate.  Her real name was Mary Ann Evans and her father Robert was an agent of the Newdigates. Memories of Astley and Arbury are scattered throughout her books. I do remember reading and studying her book Silas Marner at school and in one of the bookcases  I have Mill on the Floss and Middlemarch.

Astley Castle from the Knot Garden

D mentioned that the castle must surely be haunted so I did a bit of research in books when I got home.  Several ghosts have been reported. One is a cowled monk. Another is the headless ghost of Lady Jane Grey who was beheaded at Tower Hill and can be seen wandering around carrying her head under her arm.  Poor Jane was just a pawn in a power game by her father and father in law. She was only 17 when she died.

The other ghost is that of her father Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk. He was found to be involved in Sir Thomas Wyatt's rebellion against Queen Mary and he fled to Astley to hide in a hollow tree just south west of the church.  He was betrayed by a man called Underwood who had been bringing him food and was captured and beheaded on Tower Hill on 23rd February 1554. His ghost is seen wandering between the castle and the hollow tree.  The actual tree no longer exists but there is a plaque that marks the spot. I will have to look for that on a future visit.

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The church of St Mary the Virgin was also open so I had a brief look round there. I have been in the church before but only briefly and I missed a lot.  I'll write about the church in the next post although again it was a quick visit as it was again "too peopley"!!!! and D was waiting outside as he only had an even briefer look round.

The church was full of flower displays in memory of Queen Elizabeth II and a book of condolence that people could sign.  I still find it hard to believe we have a new King as it all seems to have happened so suddenly. I was born in 1952 so she is the only monarch throughout my life up until now.

Photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked with *D by my son with a Canon SX50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate most of my photos but if you would like to use one of mine or my son's I would be appreciate an email first thanks).

Reference: Buildings of England Warwickshire by  Chris Pickford and Nikolaus Pevsner Yale University Press latest edition

Ghosts of Warwickshire by Betty Smith

The Folklore of Warwickshire by Roy Palmer

Church guidebook bought on an earlier visit.

Astley Castle

On Monday B and I went along to the village of Astley as the castle was open for Open Heritage Week and, although I had seen the exterior of the building on the last visit, I had never been inside.


There is an interesting story connected to the original 1343 church which tells of a lantern from the church spire being lit at night to guide people through the huge forest which then covered the area. Today there is a new "Lantern of Arden" created by artist Johnny White. Built from red sandstone its stainless steel panels show symbols connected with the history of the village including George Eliot, the castle, church and 3 queens.

The church of St Mary the Virgin. It is a shame I didn't visit at the weekend as the church was open then and I could have seen the misericords and floor tiles I missed on my last visit.

If you want to read more about the interior of the church please see the blog post of my earlier visit to Astley here



Astley Castle is now looked after by The Landmark Trust which is a charity that rescues historic buildings at risk and gives them a new lease of life by letting them out for self catering holidays.



Astley Castle, located in North Warwickshire, is listed Grade II and a Scheduled Monument.

Via the castle's ownership by the Grey Family it has connections with 3 Queens of England namely Elizabeth Woodville who married Edward IV, her daughter Elizabeth of York who married Henry VII and the tragic Queen for nine days - Lady Jane Grey. It is a fortified manor house rather than a castle and it has a moat, gateway and curtain walls.

The medieval "castle" was built in the 13th century by the Astley family who held the manor. Sir Thomas Astley founded a chantry in the nearby parish church and later converted this into a small college to house secular clergy who prayed for the souls of the deceased of his family and also distributed alms to the local poor. He also built a new church next to the castle.

Sir William Astley who died in 1420 left no male heirs and his daughter Joan inherited the estate. The estate passed to her husband's son Sir Edward Grey and then later to Sir John Grey who was Elizabeth Woodville's first husband. John Grey died fighting for the Lancastrians at the 2nd Battle of St Albans in 1461 leaving Elizabeth a widow with 2 young sons. Stories tell that the resourceful and beautiful Elizabeth deliberately waylaid the young King Edward IV under an oak tree near Stony Stratford to plead for the future of her young sons. Edward fell in love with her and they secretly married in 1464 and she was crowned Queen in 1465.

When Edward died in 1483 his brother Richard III seized the throne. Henry VII who had defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth married Elizabeth of York (the daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville). This was an important marriage as it united the white rose of York with the red rose of the Tudors.

In 1537 Lady Jane Grey, Henry VIII's niece, was born. Although there is no evidence that she ever visited Astley castle which her father Henry Grey owned, their main family seat was nearby at Bradgate House so it is possible that she may have done so. Following the death of the young Edward VI who had inherited the throne on the death of Henry VIII, Lady Jane Grey became a pawn in a power struggle for the succession and was proclaimed queen by her ambitious parents. Her "reign" lasted just nine days when Mary I, the rightful successor, was declared Queen. Lady Jane Grey was imprisoned in the Tower of London and condemned to death. She was beheaded at the Tower on 12th February 1554.

Between 1600 and 1674 the Chamberlain family lived in the castle. They refurbished the building and also made alterations to the church. Astley Castle was garrisoned by Parlimentarian troops in the mid 1640's.

In 1674 Astley was bought by a Richard Newdigate, a prosperous lawyer, who also owned the nearby Arbury estate.

In the early 19th century the author George Eliot grew up on the estate. She was born in 1819 as Mary Ann Evans and her father Robert was the agent for the Newdigates. Her memories of Astley and Arbury inspired some of her work - for examples "Scenes of Clerical Life" where it is said Knebley Abbey is modelled on Astley Castle.

Astley Castle was requisitioned by the army during World War 2 and used as a home where soldiers could recuperate. After the war the castle was left empty and suffered from neglect and vandalism.

In 1953 the castle was advertised on a repairing lease and a Pat and Charles Tunniciffe took on the lease and managed to repair the building and turn it into a hotel and restaurant. The lease expired in 1978 and not long after a fire gutted the castle.

In 1995 The Landmark Trust became aware of the castle's plight and took out a lease from the Arbury estate hoping to restore part of the castle as a holiday let. The debris was cleared and archaeological surveys carried out but it was discovered that a conventional restoration of the building was not feasible for various reasons and the lease was returned. The castle was again vandalised and became overgrown with vegetation and it was identified by English Heritage as one of the most endangered British sites.

In 2005 when seeking a new challenge to celebrate their 40th anniversary The Landmark Trust took on the challenge of Astley Castle again although it was acknowledged that a conventional restoration was still not possible due to lack of surviving historic fabric and lack of funding. Architects Stephen Witherford, Chris Watson and William Mann won a competition to introduce into the ruins well designed living accommodation. The Trust raised £2.5 million from donations and work was undertaken between 2008 and 2012.

Most of the castle ruins were consolidated and repaired and the oldest part of the castle was chosen for the self catering holiday accommodation for up to 8 people.The bedrooms and bathrooms are on the ground floor and the first floor where the great hall used to be has been turned into a large open plan living area consisting of a sitting and dining room area and a kitchen. The apartment has retained many original features from the castle ruins and the views from the first floor are stunning.

Views from the first floor

After having a look round inside we had a look round the rest of the castle

The Knot Garden was newly planted in 2012 and makes reference to the 3 queens associated with the castle.

The restored Coach House

When we visited last time I did not have time to explore Dark Lane which is a holloway. Holloways are ancient tracks which have become sunken and eroded over the centuries due to the passage of people, coaches and erosion by rain water. The depth of Dark Lane suggests it dates back to medieval times.

After leaving the castle we paid a brief visit to the nearby Astley Farm Secondhand Bookshop - which is huge and stocks over 75,000 books! I did make one purchase "The Little Book of Tombs and Monuments" by Mike Harding although no cake this time!

Last Sunday D and I went to our usual location - a public footpath - to look for blackberries.

There were a few butterflies around - Speckled Wood, Comma and Red Admiral

Most of the blackberries had "gone over" but we did collect enough to be frozen to make hopefully a couple of Apple and Blackberry Crumbles.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera

Reference: Astley Castle guidebook by The Landmark Trust