Misplaced Pages

#281718

15-571: Affeton Castle is a converted late-medieval gatehouse near East Worlington , Devon , England. It was formerly part of the fortified manor house of Affeton, built by the Stucley family in about 1434, and situated on the side of a valley of the Little Dart River . The manor house was destroyed in the English Civil War of the 1640s, and by the early 19th century the gatehouse was in ruins. It

30-624: A drawbridge, one or more portcullises , machicolations , arrow loops and possibly even murder-holes where stones would be dropped on attackers. In some castles, the gatehouse was so strongly fortified it took on the function of a keep , sometimes referred to as a "gate keep". In the late Middle Ages , some of these arrow loops might have been converted into gun loops (or gun ports). Urban defences would sometimes incorporate gatehouses such as Monnow Bridge in Monmouth . York has four important gatehouses, known as "Bars", in its city walls including

45-454: A major part of the defences of the house, and incorporates a tall arch, now partly filled in to form a smaller front door, through which persons and vehicles passed to gain access to the inner courtyard. The gatehouse was restored in 1868-9 by Sir George Stucley, 1st Baronet (1812-1900) - originally called George Buck, until he became the first of the Stucley baronets - to create a shooting-box for grouse shooting on nearby Affeton Moor within

60-570: A separate feature free-standing or attached to the manor or mansion only by an enclosing wall. By this time the gatehouse had lost its defensive purpose and had become more of a monumental structure designed to harmonise with the manor or mansion. Murder-hole A murder hole or meurtrière is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders could shoot, throw or pour harmful substances or objects such as rocks, arrows, scalding water, hot sand, quicklime , or boiling oil , down on attackers. Boiling oil

75-501: Is in their location. Murder holes were located on the interiors of castles and other fortified buildings at the entranceway. Their supposed intention was to discourage (or kill) invaders once they had breached the walls, though it has been suggested that they may have in some cases also facilitated more prosaic activities, such as communication between levels. For example, the murder hole at Audley's Castle in County Down, Northern Ireland

90-421: Is located not over the main threshold, but over the entry way to an interior room. In tower houses , often considered aetiologically to be small castles, the most common location for these features is located over the lobby, the effective equivalent of locating them over a gatehouse in a true castle. It bears note that most, if not all, murder holes have only a restricted view of the lobbies below, supporting

105-630: The Micklegate Bar. The French term for gatehouse is logis-porche . This could be a large, complex structure that served both as a gateway and lodging or it could have been composed of a gateway through an enclosing wall. A very large gatehouse might be called a châtelet (small castle). At the end of the Middle Ages, many gatehouses in England and France were converted into beautiful, grand entrance structures to manor houses or estates. Many of them became

120-402: The Stucley family in about 1434. Affeton manor was at one time also a parish with its own parish church, but was later merged into the parish of West Worlington . The manor house was almost entirely demolished in the English Civil War , the only part left standing was the gatehouse, which fell into ruin. A large farmhouse known as Affeton Barton was built over the foundations and cellars of

135-422: The castle, where previously there were none. Sir Hugh Stucley, 6th Baronet (born 1945), lives in the castle in the 21st century, which is not open to the public, unlike the family's other larger residence at Hartland Abbey . He has added an extension housing a nursery wing and additional bedrooms. Gatehouse Gatehouses made their first appearance in the early antiquity when it became necessary to protect

150-495: The estate. The castle was inherited by Lt.-Col. Sir William Stucley (1836–1911), Sir Edward Stucley (1852–1927) and Sir Hugh Stucley, 4th Baronet (1873–1956), who lived at Moreton House. The 4th Baronet gave Affeton Castle to his son, Sir Dennis Stucley, 5th Baronet (1907–1983), in 1947. In 1956, Moreton Hall was sold off, and Affeton Castle became the main private residence of the Stucley baronets. Sir Dennis installed two bathrooms in

165-519: The idea that other uses may have been common. However, murder holes have been described in a variety of areas within fortified buildings, and there is no completely reliable formula for their placement. The murder hole in Tully Castle , County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland is located in the central portion of the first floor of the house, west of a cross-wall and piercing the vault of the lower chamber. This architectural element –related article

SECTION 10

#1733106674282

180-684: The main entrance to a castle or town. Famous early examples of such gates are those such as the Ishtar Gate in Babylon. Over time, they evolved into very complicated structures with many lines of defence. The Romans began building fortified walls and structures throughout Europe such as the Aurelian Walls of Rome with gates such as Porta San Paolo and Porta Nigra from the ancient defenses of Trier in Germany. Strongly fortified gatehouses would normally include

195-481: The manor house. The ruinous gatehouse was converted in 1868–9 to a shooting box for the use of the Stucley family of Hartland Abbey and Moreton House, Bideford , and later became known as Affeton Castle. The Stucley family acquired the Affeton estate when Hugh Stucley, Sheriff of Devon in 1448, married the heiress Catherine de Affeton. It measures approximately 60 feet (18 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m). It formed

210-408: Was rarely used because of its cost. Similar holes, called machicolations , were often located in the curtain walls of castles , fortified manor houses , and city walls . The parapet would project over corbels so that holes would be located over the exterior face of the wall, allowing the defenders to target attackers at the base of the wall. The primary difference between these two features

225-409: Was restored between 1868-9 by Sir George Stucley, 1st Baronet for use as a shooting box or hunting lodge ; in 1956, it was converted to form the private home of Sir Dennis Stucley, 5th Baronet. The castle, approximately 60 feet (18 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m) in size, is protected as a Grade II* listed building . Affeton Castle formed part of a large fortified manor house built from grey rubble stone by

#281718