england
Burgh Castle, Norfolk
The Roman Gariannonum, impressive walls photo of a Roman Fort from the 3rd century, built to defend the coast against Saxon raiders. Photo gallery.
Broadlands
Hampshire, an 18th Century mansion and parkland, once the home of the Palmerstons and the Mountbattens. One of England’s most elegant stately homes, created by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in 1767-80.… Read More »Broadlands
Bowes Museum
Durham, has a look of an imposing and opulent French chateau , important collection of European art and antiques
Bolsover Castle (Chesterfield)
Derbyshire; in early 17th century Charles Cavendish had a country house built on the site of a Norman castle, and he wanted the house look like a castle, even though… Read More »Bolsover Castle (Chesterfield)
Bishops Waltham Hampshire
Hampshire, remains of the moated medieval house of the Bishops of Winchester, destroyed during the Civil War.
The Berkeley Castle
Gloucestershire, after 850 years still remains the home of the Berkeley family who gave name to various places from Berkeley Square in London to Berkeley University in California; a Norman… Read More »The Berkeley Castle
Beningbrough Hall, Yorkshire
Yorkshire, a baroque palace , paintings from National Portrait Gallery
Belvoir Castle (England)
Leicestershire, was originally built the first time here in the 11th century, destroyed by two Civil Wars and a great fire in 1816, but has always been totally rebuilt. The… Read More »Belvoir Castle (England)
Bateman’s (Rudyard Kipling home)
East Sussex, which was built in 1634, became the home of Rudyard Kipling and his American wife Caroline (Carrie) in 1902 and remained their home until his death in 1936.… Read More »Bateman’s (Rudyard Kipling home)
Banqueting House London
London, was built in 1622, designed by Inigo Jones, as a part of the Palace of Whitehall. The Palace itself was destroyed by fire in 1698, but the Banqueting House… Read More »Banqueting House London
Audley House (Essex)
Audley End. Essex, a Jacobean mansion with magnificent state rooms; ‘Capability’ Brown park.
The Bramber Castle
William De Braose constructed the motte and bailey castle at Bramber c1070, along with the Norman church, and most of the surviving masonry dates from this time. Except for a period of confiscation during the reign of King John, Bramber Castle remained in the ownership of the De Braose family until the line died out in 1324. During Norman times the coastline would have been much further inland, and at high tide the water would have reached the castle walls.
Despite very little surviving, the basic layout of some areas of the castle can be identified. The most prominent feature is a large, rugged lump of stone, all that remains of the Gatehouse tower. Still standing to almost its full height, a single window, and some floor joist holes, are clearly visible within the structure. Beyond the Gatehouse are the existing foundations of what is believed to have been living quarters and a guardhouse. The dressed pillars of an entrance can be made out, but the bulk of the remaining walls now consist of only the basic rough stone infil, the better quality dressing stone having long since been quarried away for use elsewhere. Lying to the north of the gatehouse is the original castle motte, it’s earthen mound rising to a height of some 30ft (10m). A short distance away is a section of the curtain wall and, again, this survives to a reasonable height, up to 10ft (3m) in places.
Bolsover Castle
Raised by the Peverel family in the 12thcentury, very little is known of the original castle at Bolsover. A stone Keep was built c1173, surrounded by a curtain wall with an outer bailey, but the wall was breached in 1216 during the reign of King John. Surviving fragments of this curtain wall were later incorporated in a wall walk that can be seen in the castle garden.
The castle became Crown property in 1155 when the third William Peverel fled into exile, but by 1400 it had lost its strategic importance. Years of occupation by tenants had left Bolsover Castle ruinous by the time it was purchased by Sir George Talbot in 1553. Talbot, later becoming the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, is noted for two famous associations. Firstly, his marriage to ‘Bess of Hardwick’, probably the most astute business woman of the 16th century, who owned the vast Chatsworth estates. And then his lengthy term as keeper to the exiled Mary Queen of Scots, a 16 year duty that seriously drained the family’s resources.
Bishop’s Waltham Palace
Bishop’s Waltham, Southampton, Hampshire
The last Bishop of Winchester to reside at Bishop’s Waltham left in a dung cart disguised as a farm labourer! He was escaping from Oliver Cromwell’s troops after unsuccessfully defending his palace, which was torn down and never rebuilt. Bishop’s Waltham was at the peak of its importance during the medieval period when it was the seat of the bishops of Winchester.
The palace once stood in an enormous park of some 10,000 acres. Most of the remains to be seen today date from the 12th and 14th centuries. There are substantial parts of the Great Hall and three-storey tower, and the moat which once surrounded the palace can be seen in places. A brick wall which once encircled the palace is still in place. Nearby is the abbot’s fish pond. Conservation is now complete on part of the north-east range of guest rooms, latterly a farmhouse. Inside is an exhibition on the history of Bishop’s Waltham Palace. Bishops Waltham Palace
Belton Manor
During medieval times the manor of Belton was owned by St Mary’s Abbey at York but, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the land reverted back to the Crown. No architectural evidence has been found of the original manor house, if indeed there was one, but the surviving gate piers of a post-Dissolution residence can still be seen in the north wall by the Orangery. In the late 17th century, having inherited most of his great-uncle’s wealth as well as his estate at Belton, Sir John Brownlow decided to build a new country house for his family. Several architects have been associated with Belton House, including Sir Christopher Wren, but it is more feasible that William Winde and William Stanton were largely responsible for the design and construction of the property, possibly seeking advice from Roger Pratt.
Audley End Mansion
Audley End is largely an early 17th century country mansion, which was once a palace in all but name. Formerly the site of a Benedictine monastery (Walden Abbey), granted to… Read More »Audley End Mansion