Someries Castle

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Someries castle

Someries Castle (sometimes spelled Summeries castle) is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, in the Parish of Hyde, near the town of Luton, in the county of Bedfordshire, England. It was built in the 15th century by Sir John Wenlock. Although always referred to as a castle it was actually a fortified manor house.

The name of "Someries Castle" was derived from William de Someries, who had a residence on this site, but the title "castle" is contentious since it hardly describes the structure to which it is applied. The site was acquired by Wenlock in 1430 and building the mansion commenced. The house is unique in that it is regarded as one of the first brick buildings in England. The house was never completed by Wenlock, and was partly demolished in the 18th century. The magnificent brickwork can still be seen in the remains of the gatehouse, incorporating the chapel and lodge, which still stands today.

The remains of the original manor house and/or the earlier Norman Castle are now visible only as earthworks that outline the plot where the house originally stood. Some bricks from the manor house were used to build the nearby farm houses in the 17th century.^[1]

The castle was recently (in February 2007) closed to the public and was surrounded by scaffolding, which has damaged the original brickwork, it has now (2008) reopened.

[edit] Further reading

T. P. Smith, "Someries Castle", Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal, 3, 35-51, 1966.
T. P. Smith, "Someries Castle: some reconsiderations", Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal, 5, 109-112, 1970.
T. P. Smith, "The early brickwork of Someries Castle, Bedfordshire and its place in the history of English brick building," Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 129, 42-58, 1976.