| Summary : The Great Hall at Carisbrooke Castle. The building visible today was built by Countess Isabella de Fortibus or one of her predecessors in the 13th century. The Countess was the last member of the de Redvers family to hold the Isle of Wight, and was a prolific builder and modifier of Carisbrooke Castle between 1263 and her death in 1293. The hall was linked to several other buildings, including its kitchen (later the site of Carey's Mansion). At the ends of the hall were the domestic apartments for the lords of the castle and their families. Isabella built a chapel onto the south-east corner of the hall, and had further rooms to the east. It originally was a single storey building over an undercroft. Today the main medieval survival inside the hall is the great fireplace inserted by William de Montacute, earl of Salisbury and lord of the Island in 1386-1397. The fireplace was rediscovered by Philip Hardwick from the Office of Works in 1856 during restoration work. During this work it was also found that the fireplace blocked an original 13th century window.Further modifications were made by Sir George Carey in the 1580s, who was Captain of the Island from 1583-1603. He inserted an upper floor, raising the walls and roof to do so. A late 17th century staircase still survives to the upper floor and led to two rooms leading into small rooms on either side off the north end of the hall. The hall was used as a prison for Charles I in 1647-8, and also Princess Elizabeth his daughter, and his son Henry, Duke of Gloucester in 1650-3. She died here in 1650, and he subsequently went into exile. Lord Cutts, governor of the castle in 1692-1706, lowered the floor to improve the height and appearance of the room, and in the 18th century new windows were added. The current windows were inserted in 1901, and the interior was designed for Princess Beatrice from about 1913. Since 1951 the hall has housed the Carisbrooke Castle Museum, and is now in the care of English Heritage. |
More information : The Great Hall at Carisbrooke Castle. The building visible today was built by Countess Isabella de Fortibus or one of her predecessors in the 13th century. The Countess was the last member of the de Redvers family to hold the Isle of Wight, and was a prolific builder and modifier of Carisbrooke Castle between 1263 and her death in 1293. The hall was linked to several other buildings, including its kitchen (later the site of Carey's Mansion). At the ends of the hall were the domestic apartments for the lords of the castle and their families. Isabella built a chapel onto the south-east corner of the hall, and had further rooms to the east. It originally was a single storey building over an undercroft. Today the main medieval survival inside the hall is the great fireplace inserted by William de Montacute, earl of Salisbury and lord of the Island in 1386-1397. The fireplace was rediscovered by Philip Hardwick from the Office of Works in 1856 during restoration work. During this work it was also found that the fireplace blocked an original 13th century window.
Further modifications were made by Sir George Carey in the 1580s, who was Captain of the Island from 1583-1603. He inserted an upper floor, raising the walls and roof to do so. A late 17th century staircase still survives to the upper floor and led to two rooms leading into small rooms on either side off the north end of the hall. The hall was used as a prison for Charles I in 1647-8, and also Princess Elizabeth his daughter, and his son Henry, Duke of Gloucester in 1650-3. She died here in 1650, and he subsequently went into exile. Lord Cutts, governor of the castle in 1692-1706, lowered the floor to improve the height and appearance of the room, and in the 18th century new windows were added. The current windows were inserted in 1901, and the interior was designed for Princess Beatrice from about 1913. Since 1951 the hall has housed the Carisbrooke Castle Museum, and is now in the care of English Heritage. (1)
Scheduled Monument. The great hall dates from the 13th century. The first improvement to the hall was the fireplace on the ground floor built by William de Montacute c.1400. George Carey, in the 16th century, added the porch and the upper floor, but in making his changes to the great hall he badly damaged the chapel built by Isabella de Fortibus in the south east corner of the hall. In the 18th century the present staircase was inserted. Halfway up the steps a door leads into the building called the Constable's Lodgings, rebuilt and extended by William de Montacute in the 14th century. One of the rooms here is Charles I's bedchamber, from which he first attempted to escape. The entire block formed the suite of rooms occupied by Princess Beatrice as a summer residence from 1896. The great hall is now occupied by the Carisbrooke Castle Museum. Under the great hall lies the room which now houses the boilerhouse; this room dates from the 12th century. (2)
Listed building. (3)
A report on the excavations at the Castle. (4) |