Description

FORD FORD CASTLE
NT 9437
17/87 Ford Castle
21/9/51
GV I

Country house, now field study centre. C14 (licence to crenellate 1338),
converted into mansion 1694, given Gothick detail 1761 by George Raffield for
Sir John Hussey Deleval. Restored to C17 style, new north wall added and
altered internally from 1862 by David Bryce for Louisa, Marchioness of
Waterford. Mainly ashlar, medieval work squared stone; stone slate and
graduated Lakeland slate roofs. Originally a quadrilateral castle with 4
corner towers; three of these survive but one is now detached (see the
Flagpole Tower, item 17/88). Present house E-plan, 3 storeys plus attics.
5-bay centre with projecting porch tower; projecting wings with 4-storey,
one-bay stair towers in re-entrant angles. Rusticated basement. Steps up
to 2-leaf door. 2-light mullioned windows in basement, cross windows above.
Wings have large 4- and 5-light mullioned-and-transomed windows on ground
floor. 4-light window above door. C18 modillion cornice and castellated
parapet. Gabled roofs with tall diagonally-set stacks of several conjoined
shafts.

Left return has C18 masonry to right, medieval masonry in centre and C14 King
James' Tower to left with blocked arched window on 1st floor and irregular
C19 openings.

Rear facade has King James' Tower to right with original slit window in sub-
basement, blocked window above. The centre is by Bryce with consciously
irregular Gothic openings including to the right a stone balcony on large
stone brackets and in the centre a large oriel on 4 huge brackets. Tower to
left has old masonry with C18 quoins, perhaps a reconstruction of the late
C18?

Interior: King James' Tower has vaulted basement approached by stairs in
thickness of wall with 2-centred arched doorways top and bottom. Pointed
tunnel vault with 5 square-section transverse ribs. Walls 15 ft. thick at
this level, 8 ft. thick above. On 1st floor 2 pointed-arched doorways, a C16
or C17 ceiling with stop-chamfered main beam and square close-set joists and
a stone fireplace with Tudor-arched lintel and moulded surround. On 2nd
floor a Gothic room of 1862; mural stair between these floors. In the angle
of the east wing a restored 016 newel stair with a fragment of earlier stair
in the wall beside it. Elsewhere in the house seven C16 or Cl7 stone
fireplaces, one of granite with a bold incised curve in the lintel. Good
Arts-and-Crafts-style doors throughout inserted by Lord Joicey, 1907.

Country Life: Vol. 89 ( l941)

Listing NGR: NT9441637541

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Ford Castle at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q4185866

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

• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6