 Tattershall Castle
Although a castle was first erected at Tattershall in the early 13th century,
it probably amounted to little more than a fortified stone house. But
when it passed to Lord Cromwell in the 15th century, he transformed
the insignificant remains to provide an extremely comfortable residence,
and a place where he could entertain guests in a manner that befitted
his important office. Today, the huge red-brick tower that survives
is an imposing reminder of Lord Cromwell's power and wealth.
At the time of Tattershall Castle's grand rebuilding programme, brick had
become more fashionable than stone and Cromwell had nearly one million
bricks made from the local clay to complete his project. The five-storey
rectangular tower with octagonal corner turrets contained a magnificent
suite of apartments for Cromwell's personal use. Now marooned as a single
unit, the tower was originally adjoined to the main residential buildings
of Tattershall Castle, and surrounded by service ranges. Virtually none of these
other buildings have survived to any extent, with the exception of the
small guardhouse at the modern entrance. To the south of the Great Tower
at the edge of the inner moat, the brick foundations to the fifteenth
kitchens are still in situ, and a ruinous building in the outer ward probably
served as stables. An arrangement of bridges and small gatehouses were
placed around the outer and inner moats, and fragments of some of these
structures are still visible.
At first glance, the 80ft (24.2m)
high Great Tower of Tattershall Castle looks formidable and quite impossible
to penetrate should it come under attack. Despite the thickness of
the walls, a closer look at the building reveals that many of the 'defensive'
features were, in fact, incorporated only to embellish the façade.
Large arched windows with beautiful tracery run round all sides of the
tower, from top to bottom, allowing plenty of light into the lofty
rooms but providing little in the way of protection. Inside the rooms are
laid out in a uniform fashion on each floor, one large central area
or hall with smaller rooms located in three of the corner turrets,
and a spiral staircase in the other turret. Each main area had a great
fireplace, and all four of these have now been restored and returned
to Tattershall Castle through Lord Curzon's efforts in the early 20th century.
Looking at the wonderfully
preserved state of the Great Tower today, it is difficult to imagine
the sight that beheld Lord Curzon when he decided to purchase Tattershall
Castle in 1911. After Cromwell's death, Tattershall Castle had been stripped
of valuables and it is doubtful whether it was lived in again until
it fell into Crown possession. From the last quarter of the 16th
century until the end of the 17th century, Tattershall Castle was owned
by the Earls of Lincoln. For the next 200 years it was left abandoned,
and at the mercy of the elements. With most of Tattershall Castle having been
demolished already, there was a real danger that the tower's days were
also numbered. Thankfully, Lord Curzon recognised its historical worth,
and visitors today are still able to enjoy some of the former splendour
of Cromwell's great Lincolnshire masterpiece. |
