English Heritage Grant Saves Mitford Castle
from English Heritage Website, 31 January, 2005
The stormy history of a Northumbrian castle, thought to be the only five-sided keep in England, is set to delight generations of visitors for years to come thanks to English Heritage.
After more than a thousand tumultuous years during which 11th century Mitford Castle near Morpeth in Northumberland was burnt down by King John, confiscated by Henry III and sacked by Robert the Bruce, emergency repairs have been carried out following an £80,000 grant from English Heritage.
Carol Pyrah, English Heritage regional director for the North East, said: "Mitford Castle played a dramatic and important part in the area's history and it was vital that the remains were prevented from further deterioration or they would have been lost forever.
We are delighted that this grant has helped the owner of Mitford to safeguard the future of the castle for many years to come."
The home of the Barons of Mitford for hundreds of years, the motte and bailey castle - in ruins since the 14th century - is a Grade I listed Scheduled Ancient Monument and is on English Heritage's Buildings at Risk Register as it is in very poor condition.
The Mitford estate was bought 10 years ago by Newcastle company Shepherd Offshore Ltd, whose director Bruce Shepherd lives in Mitford Village and whose ambition it is to restore other parts of the estate as well.
The owner brought in consultant architect Cyril Winskell to carry out a full structural survey of the castle and an assessment of the work that needed to be carried out.
Cyril Winskell said: "Down the centuries the stonework has taken a serious battering, suffering from wind and rain erosion, damage by tree roots, 'robbing' of the face stones to build other structures and more recently vandalism. But having said all that, the existing core of the walls turned out to be in remarkably good condition and very little grouting has been needed to secure it."
The offending tree roots were carefully removed and loose stones on the upper reaches of the castle walls were numbered, set aside and replaced exactly using specialist techniques and materials.
Cyril added: "The whole area in and around the castle is incredibly rich in archaeology and still has lots of secrets to tell us.
This work is the first of three phases that will safeguard the site from further deterioration and enable us to step back and consider what other work needs to be done."
Owner of the Mitford estate Bruce Shepherd said: "I am delighted at the work that has been carried out under the English Heritage grant scheme.
Over the years we've invested a lot of time and effort into repairing and restoring different parts of the estate to ensure future generations can enjoy and appreciate it."