| Summary : The Turret House was erected circa 1574, possibly as a gatehouse and hunting lodge to the Manor House. It was restored in 1873 and again in the late 20th century. The building is constructed from coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and a lead roof. There are two triple side wall stacks with lozenge-shaped shafts and copings. At the north-east corner there is a round stair turret with lead dome and finial. The ground and first floor rooms have brick lined fireplaces with chamfered stone surrounds. The first-floor south room has a strapwork plaster ceiling whilst the second floor south room has a Tudor arched fireplace and overmantel with a coat of arms flanked by single columns. It was originally though that Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here on a number of occasions. A love affair between the doomed royal and the Earl of Shrewsbury was the reason for the incarceration, according to her persecutor and cousin, Queen Elizabeth 1. When the interior was updated by the Victorians many of their changes reflected this belief. Stained glass windows bear references to Mary whilst the plasterwork ceiling depicts two women's heads and a marigold, representing Mary, Elizabeth and the imprisonment. However, it is now thought that Mary was held in the Manor House. |