TATTERSHALL CASTLE

Lincolnshire

Tattershall Castle is a bit of an anomaly really.  Although it looks like many another great keep it is built of brick and was constructed something like 200 years after the majority of the others of its kind.

There had been a Castle on this site since 1231 when Robert de Tattershall built a Castle with wet moats and an extensive curtain wall, of which only a few foundations remain.  The layout of the moats still follows approximately that plan though.

The rather beautiful keep was built by Ralph, Lord Cromwell between 1434 and 1446, at a time when others were building Castles like Bodiam and Scotney to altogether different plans.

Cromwell was Lord Treasurer of England, and he wanted his new Castle to reflect his wealth and power, so the expensive new building material of bricks was used.  Over a million bricks were used to construct Tattershall Castle!

Incredibly this building fell into disuse after Lord Cromwell died and a great deal of the attendant buildings were demolished in the 18th Century.  Lord Curzon bought the ruined keep in 1911 and set about restoring it to its original state.

Tattershall Castle is owned by the National Trust and open to the public during the summer months.

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2001