Broughton Castle: A Historic Manor and Roman Villa Site in the United Kingdom

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.broughtoncastle.com

Country: United Kingdom

Civilization: Unclassified

Remains: Military

History

Broughton Castle is located in the village of Broughton Castle, United Kingdom. The earliest known construction on the site dates back to a Romano-British villa occupied between the 1st and 4th centuries AD, indicating its significance long before the medieval period.

The medieval phase began around 1300 when Sir John de Broughton established a manor house at a site naturally suited for moated defense due to the joining of three streams. This manor was sold in 1377 to William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, and thereafter remained in his family’s lineage. Early in the 15th century, Sir Thomas Wykeham fortified the manor by adding crenellations, transforming it into a defensible residence by 1406.

In 1451, the estate passed through inheritance to the Fiennes family, who hold the title of Barons Saye and Sele. During the mid-16th century, Richard Fiennes undertook extensive remodeling and expansion, reshaping the medieval manor into a grand Tudor-style house. This period attracted royal attention, with King James I visiting Broughton Castle on several occasions.

During the 17th century, under William Fiennes, the 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, the castle became a focal point of political opposition to King Charles I. It hosted important gatherings of Parliamentarian leaders such as John Pym and John Hampden while tensions mounted before the English Civil War. The Viscount raised forces for the Battle of Edgehill in 1642, after which Royalist troops besieged and briefly occupied the castle. Damage from cannon fire during this siege required substantial repair work in the war’s aftermath. Notably, the Viscount refrained from endorsing the execution of Charles I and eventually reconciled with the monarchy after the Restoration.

The castle’s fortunes declined in the 19th century until restoration efforts were led by Frederick Fiennes, the 16th Baron Saye and Sele, who engaged architect Sir George Gilbert Scott to revive the house. Around 1900, Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox leased the property, redesigned its gardens, and hosted King Edward VII.

More recent archaeological investigation in 2021 revealed the presence of a high-status Roman villa beneath the later structures, including significant finds such as a lead-lined sarcophagus of a wealthy woman discovered in the 1960s. The castle remains in the hands of the Fiennes family, continuing its long history of ownership within the same lineage.

Remains

Broughton Castle sits on an artificial island surrounded by a broad moat, accessed by a small bridge that connects to the nearby parish church of St Mary the Virgin. This layout reflects its origins as a fortified manor designed for both residence and defense, utilizing natural waterways enhanced by human engineering.

The gatehouse, constructed in 1406, marks the main entrance and stands as a prominent medieval feature. Adjoining the gatehouse to the left is a block distinguished by Gothic-style windows that face the moat; today this section houses a shop and café. The overall façade of the castle blends earlier medieval portions on the left side with later Elizabethan style, especially in the central and right sections, combining defensive architecture with the grandeur of an Elizabethan prodigy house.

Inside, the chapel was built in the 14th century in the Decorated Gothic style, showcasing the period’s characteristic stone tracery and ornamentation. Most principal rooms around the castle date from the Elizabethan period, including a great hall that extends along the main façade and a long gallery on the upper floor that overlooks the rear gardens. Spaces such as the Solar, originally a private sitting room, were later adapted for practical uses, including conversion into a kitchen wing.

The castle contains two remarkable chimneypieces reflecting Renaissance influences introduced during the Tudor and early Stuart eras. In the Queen’s Bedroom, historically used by Anne of Denmark, a stone fireplace displays Renaissance decoration merged with medieval human head motifs, likely carved locally using design patterns circulated through books such as those by Hans Vredeman de Vries. Another chimney in the bedroom occupied by James I is made of polished stucco fashioned in the style of the Fontainebleau school, featuring a central medallion copied from designs by Rosso Fiorentino and flanked by statuary of nude boys, probably crafted outside England.

Several elaborately adorned plaster ceilings survive at Broughton Castle. The most impressive examples are found in the Great Parlour on the first floor and the Oak Room below, each illustrating intricate decorative plasterwork that reflects Elizabethan craftsmanship.

Three bedrooms retain fine examples of 18th-century painted Chinese wallpaper, depicting various trees, birds, and flowers. These delicate and colorful murals have remained remarkably well-preserved, providing insight into period tastes for exotic decoration.

At roof level is a distinctive room known locally as the “room with no ears.” This space gained historical significance as a secret meeting place where the 1st Viscount Saye and Sele conferred with Parliamentary leaders prior to the outbreak of the Civil War.

The castle’s gardens feature long herbaceous borders noted for their lush and varied summer displays, a landscape tradition enhanced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including redesign work by Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox.

Archaeological discoveries beneath the present castle reveal the site’s ancient roots as a wealthy Romano-British villa. Excavations uncovered remains from the 1st to 4th centuries AD, including mosaic tesserae (small colored tiles used to create intricate floor patterns), tiles from a hypocaust system (an ancient underfloor heating technology), and terraced ponds used for water management. A lead-lined sarcophagus found in the 1960s within the villa complex contained the remains of a high-status woman, underscoring the importance of the site long before the medieval manor was established.