Someries Castle (sometimes spelt Summeries castle) is a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

, in the Parish of Hyde, near the town of

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

, England.

History

It was built in the 15th century by Sir John Wenlock, whose ghost is reputed to haunt the castle. Although always referred to as a castle it was actually a fortified

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

. The name "Someries Castle" is derived from William de Someries (or Somerys), who had a residence on this site, but the title "castle" is contentious since it hardly describes the structure to which it is applied. The site was acquired by Wenlock in 1430 and building the mansion commenced. The house is regarded as one of the first brick buildings in England. The house was not completed by Wenlock, as the Tudor historian John Leland noted. Work was halted after Wenlock's death at the battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. The site passed to the Rotheram family. The mansion was partly demolished in the 18th century. The

brickwork Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by ...

can still be seen in the remains of the

gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the most ...

, incorporating the chapel and lodge, which still stands. Earthworks previously thought to originate from an earlier manor house are now considered to relate to the 15th-century mansion's formal garden. Bricks from the mansion have been utilised in nearby 19th-century farm buildings.The author

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...

lived in the neighbouring farmhouse from 1907 to 1909 while writing the novel '' Under Western Eyes''.

Present day

The castle closed to the public in February 2007 in order to make the structure safe and was surrounded by scaffolding, which damaged the original brickwork. It reopened in 2008.

References

{{reflist

External links

Gatehouse Gazetteer record for Someries Castle
containing a comprehensive bibliography Houses in Bedfordshire Protected areas of Bedfordshire Castles in Bedfordshire Scheduled monuments in Bedfordshire Ruins in Bedfordshire Demolished buildings and structures in Bedfordshire Ruined castles in England

History

Present day

See also

References

Further reading

External links