Hopton Castle: Difference between revisions
imported>Richard Nevell No edit summary |
imported>Richard Nevell (A bit about the tower) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{subpages}} | {{subpages}} | ||
{{Image|Hopton Castle, 2009.jpg|right|350px|The | {{Image|Hopton Castle, 2009.jpg|right|350px|The large stone tower Hopton Castle in 2009}} | ||
'''Hopton Castle''' is a medieval ruin in [[Shropshire]]. The castle is first mentioned in 1264, but it may have been founded as early as the 11th century.<ref>Wessex Archaeology (April 2010). ''[http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/system/files/53531741-Time-Team-Hopton-Castle.pdf Hopton Castle, Shropshire: Archaeological Excavation Report]''. Salisbury: Wessex Archaeology Limited. pp. 2–4.</ref> | '''Hopton Castle''' is a medieval ruin in [[Shropshire]]. The castle is first mentioned in 1264, but it may have been founded as early as the 11th century.<ref>Wessex Archaeology (April 2010). ''[http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/system/files/53531741-Time-Team-Hopton-Castle.pdf Hopton Castle, Shropshire: Archaeological Excavation Report]''. Salisbury: Wessex Archaeology Limited. pp. 2–4.</ref> | ||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
During the [[English Civil War]] the castle was damaged and in 1655 it was bought by Bartholomew Beale. Ownership descended through his family. Repairs were carried out in the 1950s and 1960s, though the ruins remained in poor condition. The early 21st century saw an increase in the amount of archaeological fieldwork at the castle, with a geophysical survey in 2005, an earthwork survey in 2006, and excavations by Time Team in 2009.<ref>Wessex Archaeology, ''Hopton Castle, Shropshire: Archaeological Excavation Report'', p. 6.</ref><ref>"[http://pastscape.org.uk/monumentinfo.aspx?a=0&hob_id=106648&criteria=Hopton%20Castle&search=all&rational=q&recordsperpage=10&sort=4 Hopton Castle, Shropshire: investigation history]", ''Pastscape'', accessed 3 March 2013.</ref> Since 2008 the site has been in the ownership of Hopton Castle Preservation Trust. Hopton Castle is both a Grade I [[listed building]] and a [[scheduled monument]] and is included in [[English Heritage]]'s 'Heritage at Risk Register'; a sixth of the scheduled monuments in the West Midlands are considered "at risk", and Hopton Castle's state is "very bad".<ref>English Heritage (2010). ''[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/HAR-2010-regional-registers/wm-HAR-register-2010.pdf Heritage at Risk Register, 2010: West Midlands]'', English Heritage, accessed 3 March 2013. pp. 4, 27.</ref> | During the [[English Civil War]] the castle was damaged and in 1655 it was bought by Bartholomew Beale. Ownership descended through his family. Repairs were carried out in the 1950s and 1960s, though the ruins remained in poor condition. The early 21st century saw an increase in the amount of archaeological fieldwork at the castle, with a geophysical survey in 2005, an earthwork survey in 2006, and excavations by Time Team in 2009.<ref>Wessex Archaeology, ''Hopton Castle, Shropshire: Archaeological Excavation Report'', p. 6.</ref><ref>"[http://pastscape.org.uk/monumentinfo.aspx?a=0&hob_id=106648&criteria=Hopton%20Castle&search=all&rational=q&recordsperpage=10&sort=4 Hopton Castle, Shropshire: investigation history]", ''Pastscape'', accessed 3 March 2013.</ref> Since 2008 the site has been in the ownership of Hopton Castle Preservation Trust. Hopton Castle is both a Grade I [[listed building]] and a [[scheduled monument]] and is included in [[English Heritage]]'s 'Heritage at Risk Register'; a sixth of the scheduled monuments in the West Midlands are considered "at risk", and Hopton Castle's state is "very bad".<ref>English Heritage (2010). ''[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/HAR-2010-regional-registers/wm-HAR-register-2010.pdf Heritage at Risk Register, 2010: West Midlands]'', English Heritage, accessed 3 March 2013. pp. 4, 27.</ref> | ||
The remains of Hopton Castle are dominated by a 14th-century stone tower on a 2m high mound. Two enclosures known as baileys were part of the castle, however only earthworks now survive.<ref>"[http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MSA876&resourceID=1015 Hopton Castle tower keep castle with outer bailey 150m NW of Park Cottage]", ''Shropshire HER'', accessed 3 March 2013.</ref> | The remains of Hopton Castle are dominated by a 14th-century stone tower on a 2m high mound. Two enclosures known as baileys were part of the castle, however only earthworks now survive.<ref>"[http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MSA876&resourceID=1015 Hopton Castle tower keep castle with outer bailey 150m NW of Park Cottage]", ''Shropshire HER'', accessed 3 March 2013.</ref> The three-storey tower was built in the late 13th or early 14th century in the style of a Norman great tower called a keep from the 11th or 12th centuries. It survives to a height of 12.2m and is roughly rectangular in plan, measuring 12.2m by 14.1m at its base excluding a projecting tower in the south-west corner. The first floor was probably used as a hall, while the second floor likely provided high-status accommodation.<ref>Wessex Archaeology, ''Hopton Castle, Shropshire: Archaeological Excavation Report'', p. 3.</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
Revision as of 15:11, 6 March 2013
Hopton Castle is a medieval ruin in Shropshire. The castle is first mentioned in 1264, but it may have been founded as early as the 11th century.[1]
During the English Civil War the castle was damaged and in 1655 it was bought by Bartholomew Beale. Ownership descended through his family. Repairs were carried out in the 1950s and 1960s, though the ruins remained in poor condition. The early 21st century saw an increase in the amount of archaeological fieldwork at the castle, with a geophysical survey in 2005, an earthwork survey in 2006, and excavations by Time Team in 2009.[2][3] Since 2008 the site has been in the ownership of Hopton Castle Preservation Trust. Hopton Castle is both a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument and is included in English Heritage's 'Heritage at Risk Register'; a sixth of the scheduled monuments in the West Midlands are considered "at risk", and Hopton Castle's state is "very bad".[4]
The remains of Hopton Castle are dominated by a 14th-century stone tower on a 2m high mound. Two enclosures known as baileys were part of the castle, however only earthworks now survive.[5] The three-storey tower was built in the late 13th or early 14th century in the style of a Norman great tower called a keep from the 11th or 12th centuries. It survives to a height of 12.2m and is roughly rectangular in plan, measuring 12.2m by 14.1m at its base excluding a projecting tower in the south-west corner. The first floor was probably used as a hall, while the second floor likely provided high-status accommodation.[6]
References
- ↑ Wessex Archaeology (April 2010). Hopton Castle, Shropshire: Archaeological Excavation Report. Salisbury: Wessex Archaeology Limited. pp. 2–4.
- ↑ Wessex Archaeology, Hopton Castle, Shropshire: Archaeological Excavation Report, p. 6.
- ↑ "Hopton Castle, Shropshire: investigation history", Pastscape, accessed 3 March 2013.
- ↑ English Heritage (2010). Heritage at Risk Register, 2010: West Midlands, English Heritage, accessed 3 March 2013. pp. 4, 27.
- ↑ "Hopton Castle tower keep castle with outer bailey 150m NW of Park Cottage", Shropshire HER, accessed 3 March 2013.
- ↑ Wessex Archaeology, Hopton Castle, Shropshire: Archaeological Excavation Report, p. 3.