Witton Castle, Witton-le-Wear

Description

Castle, now caravan site and leisure complex administration and club buildings. Probably late C14; licence to crenellate 1410; partial demolition late C17; extensive late C18 and C19 alterations and additions. Coursed sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings and some quoins; roofs not visible. Main north range of medieval castle with west extensions and additions forming enclosure to service courtyard. Main front of north range 2 storeys, 8 bays, with stair turret projection in second bay and full-height porch with projecting porte-cochere in fifth bay. Port-cochere has double-chamfered flat-2-centred arches; wide angle buttresses; front corbel table and battlemented parapet. Tudor-arched surround to boarded door in porch, which has Decorated tracery in 4-light windows, and battlemented parapet with stone figures of buck and doe. Polygonal stair turret has 3 set-back stages with small chamfered lights, and heraldic panels and date and initials HC 1881, below corbelled battlements. Varied windows in other bays in medieval and Tudor styles, some with dripmoulds, are all C19. Bays flanking porch project slightly, the right under tower with figures on battlements. Corbelled external chimney stack from ground floor between 2 right bays, which have set-back stages; right end angle turret has similar set- backs, as has corresponding turret at left end which is abutted by west forecourt wall (q.v.). Square stone chimneys on corbelled stack and to left of entrance bay; octagonal stone chimney on front of tower behind porch with bronze fox. weather-vane. West extensions have some Gothic-style openings, some of mid-C19 character, and probably incorporate early north curtain wall. Interior of main range shows principal first-floor rooms with Gothic panelling and window reveals; barrel- vaulted ground floor. (Listed Building Report)

The original rubble-built castle situated within the curtain wall has been completely restored and retains no exterior features of obvious antiquity. A modern block, similar in style to the original castle, has been added to the west side. A wall and ornamental ditch on the north side are also modern. (PastScape ref. Field Investigators Comments F1 DAD 05-JUL-57)

Comments

Licence to crenellate was obtained by Ralph Eure in 1410 after rebuilding had already begun, probably around 1370. Following a fire in 1796 much rebuilding took place. The original plan consisted of a square bailey, surrounded by a curtain wall,with a keep on the north side projecting beyond the curtain. The curtain remains almost unaltered. Two gateways lead to the courtyard, in the middle of the east and west sides respectively, and over each is a machicolated gallery. A broad battlement runs around the top of the wall. Each angle of the curtain was originally crowned by a bartizan of which only two remain. The keep is a rectangular structure with turrets at all corners. On the south side of the courtyard and close to the curtain wall is a square, tower-like structure with windows of C16.