- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 1386 · 14th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Coordinates
- 51.4197°, -1.3381°
History
In 1386 Sir Richard Abberbury, a knight close to the court of Richard II, received royal licence to fortify his residence and built a small castle with a curtain wall, towers and an imposing gatehouse on a hill above the Lambourn valley. Early in the 15th century the estate was bought by Thomas Chaucer, son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, and it later passed to his daughter Alice, Duchess of Suffolk. In the English Civil War a Royalist garrison under Sir John Boys held the castle against repeated Parliamentarian sieges, and in October 1644 the Second Battle of Newbury was fought at the foot of the hill. The garrison surrendered on honourable terms in 1646, after which Parliament had the castle pulled down – only the gatehouse survived.
What to see
On a grassy hilltop stands the tall gatehouse with two drum towers, still bearing the scars of 17th-century bombardment. Around it the outline of the curtain wall foundations survives, and beyond are the clear star-shaped earthworks the Royalists threw up against artillery. The ruin is in the care of English Heritage and freely accessible, with views over the Lambourn valley and nearby Newbury.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q849861
Popularity: articles about this site in 15 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).