Description

CANTSFIELD
SD 67 SW

5/57 Thurland Castle
4-10-1967
GV II*

Large house, mainly 1880s by Paley and Austin, but with earlier remains.
The earliest remains are C14th. In 1643 it was made ruinous following a
Civil War siege. It was restored in 1809 by Jeffrey Wyatt and in 1829 by
Webster. In 1879 it was gutted by fire and had to be rebuilt, although
many of the old walls were retained. Sandstone rubble with slate roofs.
Comprises 2 ranges, forming the north and west sides of a courtyard and
meeting at an acute angle. The windows are mullioned or mullioned and
transomed and appear to date from the l880s. At the left side of the south
wall of the north range is a 3-storey tower with embattled parapet and
corner turret, said to be added by Wyatt. To the right this facade is of 2
storeys with attic and 2 bays, with paired windows in each bay on the 1st
floor. Between bays is a doorway of early C14th type, with a cusped
pointed arch and with worn carved ornament on the jambs. This is thought
to have opened into the hall, which was at the right-hand end of this
range. The west wall of the east range has a stair window with 3 transoms
to the left, a 2-storey canted section, and a tower of 2 storeys with a
blank upper stage and an embattled parapet. To the right a single-storey
porch and billiard room with embattled parapets project forwards in front
of Webster's additions. The porch is of ashlar and has diagonal buttresses
and a pointed doorway. Above is a 2-light window with pointed head. To the
right the billiard room is lit by paired cross windows with trefoiled
lights. The north and east facades,facing outwards towards the moat,
exploit the complex history of rebuilding to produce an irregular
composition. Interior. Many of the ground-floor rooms are panelled to dado
height and have ribbed plaster ceilings. The drawing room, at the south
end of the east range, has 2 bay windows with armorial glass in the upper
lights, and a marble fireplace and overmantel in a Gothic style within a
panelled recess.The dining room, towards the north end of this range, has
a timber fireplace surround and an overmantel whose central panel is
carved with a shield of arms with crest and motto. The stair, also in this
range, has a closed string and turned balusters. On the 1st floor, at the
north-east angle of the house, is the library, which has walls of
sandstone ashlar above oak panelling and has fitted oak bookshelves. At
its northern end is an oriel window. At the south is a fireplace recess
with moulded arch, and carved decoration, including an armorial panel over
the fireplace. On the west side a dividing wall is pierced by a wide
moulded Tudor arch with ribbed panels on the soffit. VCH Vol.8, pp
235-237.

Listing NGR: SD6109173078

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Thurland Castle at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q7799305

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas