Northampton Castle - Virtual Tour

Welcome to Northampton. Times are a-changing in Northampton. Plans afoot that will alter the face of our town forever. New buildings are springing up all around the town, not least those forming part of the proposed new Enterprise Zone. No doubt you'll find out more about them over the coming months. But we want to tell you about something far more interesting, the inspiration for a fantastic new heritage gateway into the town. Incorporating our long-awaited new train station. However, the station is not the first building to inhabit this well-trodden site. It has been occupied from as early as 700 AD by the Danes and Saxons, who built the earliest fortifications. But you might be surprised to discover that Northampton was also once home to a mighty Norman castle, which once stood proudly right here, looming high over the Nen, as described in Leland's itinerary of 1536. Long ago, in the dim and distant past, the Normans oversaw the first great redevelopment of Northampton. In the late 11th century, Simon de Sonley, Earl of Northampton, was ordered to build a castle by William the Conqueror to fortify the increasingly significant Norman town. The land alongside the original river course was extensively remodelled to form a huge array of defensive earthworks and ditches. The first structures may have been built from timber, but were eventually rebuilt in local ironstone and sandstone, forming a high bailey wall around the perimeter and an imposing entrance barbican, the North Gate. This was the main entrance into the castle, providing passage across the surrounding defensive ditch. It would have been heavily guarded, making for a very daunting introduction to the castle. Here we enter into the outer ward, or common area. Life inside the castle would have been busy and bustling with various characters going about their business. Here we have the jailer's house. The jail itself was contained along the bailey wall and within the round tower, as are the adjacent barracks for the infantrymen and armoury. There's a large muster hall for feasts, and there would also be cottages and workshops for the various craftsmen, blacksmiths, carpenters, a mason's yard. The well would provide drinking water, and there is also a stable block, kennels and mews for horses, hunting dogs and any livestock. The little passage in the bailey wall beyond is the posthum gate. This doorway provided direct access to the river for residents to do their laundry or collect freshly ground flour from the watermill. It's the only part of the castle that remains today, rebuilt by the Victorians on Black Lion Hill in the wall alongside the station. The bailey walls were thick and high and accessed from several towers with tight, dark spiral staircases leading all the way up. Note how the staircase winds clockwise as we ascend. This would prevent predominantly right-handed raiders from using their swords, but allow descending defenders to strike freely. From up here, our infantrymen could protect the castle and subdue any attempts to attack with deadly crossbow fire and trebuchets launching rock missiles from atop the towers. With sentries posted regularly along the wall, it would take a very cunning raider to make it to the walls undetected, never mind getting inside. Here we can look down the murder holes in the barbican from which defenders could shower boiling oil or water over any unwanted visitors. Now we're heading into the inner ward where we find all the most important accommodation separate from the common folk outside. These are the servants' quarters, always at beck and call and ready to work. In the kitchens and bakehouse, cooking up a feast for their noble employers and guests. Next door are the Queen's private chapel and apartments, with their intricate windows. And there is the Great Hall, the main assembly building where all the official business of state took place. Beyond the Great Hall is the vast and impressive Keep, the main defensive stronghold of the castle and the ultimate place of refuge for the king if ever the castle should come under attack. Norman and later Plantagenet kings developed Northampton into a significant centre of power. The castle's central position in England enabled kings to use it to overawe their mighty barons. But it's in the Great Hall that all the important action took place. For 250 years, from 1131 to 1380, a king would parley or talk with his barons and bishops here, the forerunner of our modern parliament. Henry II held the first Great Council in 1157. But it was also a place for special occasions, feasts and entertaining as King Henry I celebrated Easter here in 1122. The king would enter the Great Hall from the rear via the long and great chambers. This is where he would come to prepare, before taking his place upon the throne in front of his loyal or not so loyal barons. But perhaps the most important event to take under this roof was the trial of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1164. He rode to the castle each day of his trial from St Andrew's Priory and carried his own cross into the hall on the last day. Becket left the castle before sentence was pronounced and returned to St Andrew's Priory from where, just before dawn the next day, he fled dressed as a monk through the town's north gate to Lincoln and eventually to France. It was a timely escape as if found guilty Becket would most likely have been thrown into the dungeons of the keep, shackled and manacled to the thick enclosing walls until the day of his execution. William the Lion, King of Scotland, was another notable prisoner here in 1174. But that's not all that happened in this building. The castle acquired the trappings of a royal palace under Henry I and was further improved in the 13th century to house Henry III's queen in comfort. It came under siege during the barons wars under King John and Henry III. Between 1199 and 1216 King John visited the castle at least 30 times and spent some 300 pounds on repairing and strengthening the buildings. He even moved the royal treasury here in 1205. Indeed Northampton was noted as one of the four royal castles given up by John at the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. Upstairs and hopefully out of harm's way would be the king's private chambers and his chapel. But as we continue right up to the top of this lofty tower we can now absorb the incredible view over the castle and countryside. The relatively low-lying topography allowed them to see for miles and from here the king could relax and enjoy a jousting tournament in the outer bailey. Such would have been the scene in days of yore. Rather different than the scene today, we're sure you'll agree. Just imagine if the castle was still here. Nestled among the existing and new landmarks like the Express Lifts Tower, Franklin's Gardens, Sixfields and those other preserved gems. All Saints Church, the Holy Sepulchre known as St. Sepps and of course St. Peter's, the castle's chapel. Unfortunately after a relatively short period of prominence Northampton Castle was systematically erased from existence. It repeatedly changed hands during the 13th century civil war and fell into disrepair. The last parliament was held here in November 1380 under Richard II and the castle ceased to function effectively as a strategic stronghold from 1390 onwards during the reign of Edward III. Only the jail and Great Hall for sessions of court were retained under the stewardship of the county sheriff. It was here that the Northamptonshire Witches Trial was held in 1612. Furthermore after the English civil war Charles II ordered the castle be slighted due to its support for the roundheads after which it passed out of royal possession and was left to ruin. The Hazelrig family eventually purchased the site under whom it became a cherry orchard before finally ending up in the hands of the London and Northwest Railway Company in 1876. Alas our once glorious castle is but a memory today, a ghost of a history to be celebrated and remembered before it's completely steamrolled by the juggernaut of progress. This presentation has been brought to you by the Friends of Northampton Castle. We believe there's still much archaeology to be done both on the station site and up by the castle mound where we hope to uncover the remains of the royal apartments and Great Hall. If you want to discover more about this and the proposed heritage gateway highlighting the castle, St Peter's and an even earlier Saxon palace please visit our website at northamptoncastle.com. Thank you for your time, we hope you enjoyed the tour.