Thornbury Castle

Thornbury Castle

The first part of the assignment concerns the characteristics of

Thornbury Castle, and in particular its defensive and palace like

features.

Having visited the site, in my opinion Thornbury Castle displays both

defensive and luxurious, palace like features. The Castle has the

beginning of a ditch which could be argued as being a moat.

Crennelations, machicolations, gun/arrow loops and portcullis grooves

are all strong defensive features included in the building of

Thornbury Castle. Arguably, the most defensive feature of Thornbury

Castle is the evidence of a barracks. Palace and luxurious features

include large windows, beautifully decorated terracotta chimneys and

large flowered gardens.

In the nineteenth century restoration works were carried out,

including the re-roofing and completion of the west front tower (1809)

and extensive restoration of the south front (1854) under the

direction of Anthony Salvin. The reason for the restoration was

because following the execution of the Duke of Buckingham in 1521, the

Castle experienced two centuries of decline. Thornbury Castle was sold

in 1959 (by The Howards) for its current use as a hotel and

restaurant, the restoration works were therefore not completed as

planned by The Howards in the nineteenth century.

A feature of the Tudor era was a long period where the country was

ruled by powerful monarchs (in particular Henry VII, Henry VIII and

Elizabeth I). Unlike the medieval period, where lords and barons with

private armies fought regularly over land rights, the country was

united under strong leadership. The castles built, for example these

constructed ...

... middle of paper ...

...luxurious features which reflect the status and the

power of those (like the Duke of Buckingham) with the wealth to build

them. Castles designed purely for defence were no longer required. The

specific features of Thornbury Castle reflect its history and in

particular the life of The Duke of Buckingham. R.Cooke notes that,

"Buckingham designed his castle on a scale to rival any of the great

palaces which existed at that time," but as I have discussed in my

essay, it was the inclusion of extreme defensive features which may

have lead to the Duke's untimely death. The reason for the inclusion

of major defensive features at Thornbury Castle is still a mystery,

but as C Rawcliffe says,"there can be no doubt that Buckingham's first

concern was to build himself a magnificent retreat where he could live

in style and comfort."