Beckington Castle is a historic house in the village of

Beckington Beckington is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, across the River Frome from Lullington about three miles north of Frome. According to the 2011 census the parish, which includes the hamlet of Rudge, which ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. It is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. It was built in the early 17th century on the site of a medieval building. It has been home to various nobility and local businessmen, also serving as a hotel and school. It is now used as offices.

History

It was originally built in the early 17th century, on the site of an earlier medieval building by William Long, a clothier and patron of Beckington Church. In 1569 William's son Thomas lived there. At some time before 1616 it was sold to

James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough (c. 1552–1629) was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1622. He was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland and then in England, and wa ...

who was

Lord Chief Justice Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

of the King's Bench in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and then in England; he was an English

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

and was

Lord High Treasurer The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...

from 1624 to 1628. He was also a founder member of the Society of Antiquaries. Beckington Castle 1842

Several local merchants owned the building in the 18th century including Christopher Brewer, Samuel Love, and Nathaniel Mortimer. In the 1780s, Beckington Castle came into the hands of the Chislett family who owned it until 1870. It wasn't until 1839, that the name 'Castle House' was applied to the building. This later evolved into 'The Castle' and later 'Beckington Castle'. In 1870 George Esdaile bought the Castle for £450, the next owner was Colonel

Augustus Hill Augustus Hill is a fictional character, played by Harold Perrineau on the American television show '' Oz'', serving as the show's narrator. Character overview Mentored by his godfather Burr Reddding, Hill started selling and using drugs during ...

who held it from 1896 until 1901. Edward Milles Nelson was owner from 1902 to 1926. He was President of the

Royal Microscopical Society The Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) is a learned society for the promotion of microscopy. It was founded in 1839 as the Microscopical Society of London making it the oldest organisation of its kind in the world. In 1866, the society gained it ...

and author of 'The Cult of Circle Builders'. It was then the home of Captain John Hamilton of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

, who later became the 3rd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, and in 1942 it was the birthplace of his second son the politician

Archie Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom Archibald Gavin Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom, (born 30 December 1941) is a British Conservative Party politician. Background and education Hamilton is the second son of the 3rd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, a Lord-in-waiting to the Queen ...

. It has also served as a hotel, and an antiques showroom. From 1945 to 1970, the Ravenscroft School occupied the building. In February, 1966, a fire began in the Castle's boiler room and some of the interior was destroyed. Ravenscroft closed for a week, then continued to operate in its outbuildings while the extensive damage was made good. The building is reputedly haunted and it may have been the first building in England which was described in an advertisement for sale as being more desirable because it was haunted.

Current use

In 1989, the Castle, which was in poor condition, and grounds were purchased by Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd (SEA), which provides technical and procurement support to the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. Between 1995 and 1996 Beckington Castle was restored by SEA as their headquarters, in co-operation with Mendip Council and

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

Architecture

The three-storey building has three tall

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s with

coping Coping refers to conscious strategies used to reduce unpleasant emotions. Coping strategies can be cognitions or behaviours and can be individual or social. Theories of coping Hundreds of coping strategies have been proposed in an attempt to ...

s and

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

s along the front with two similar gables on each side.

References

{{Authority control Grade II listed buildings in Mendip District Buildings and structures in Mendip District Grade II* listed houses in Somerset Houses in Somerset