Tattershall Castle
Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire is one of the most unusual and visually striking medieval castles in England: a great tower built entirely in brick at a time when stone was the conventional material for prestigious construction, its deep red colour and soaring height making it visible for miles across the flat Lincolnshire Fens and providing an instantly distinctive landmark in a county of remarkable flatness. Built by Ralph Lord Cromwell, Treasurer of England to King Henry VI, between 1430 and 1450, the castle represents both an architectural experiment and a very deliberate statement of personal wealth and political status. The choice of brick for a building of this ambition was innovative for England in the mid-fifteenth century, though brick had been established as a prestigious building material in the Netherlands and North Germany for generations and had been used in a few earlier English buildings. Cromwell had access to wealth, political connections and presumably knowledge of continental building practice that allowed him to deploy brick on this scale and with this sophistication. The quality of the brickwork is exceptional: the walls are up to three metres thick at the base and the construction has survived remarkably well despite the castle's eventful later history. The interior of the tower, which rises to six storeys and originally had a seventh, preserves exceptional examples of late Gothic decorative stonework in the four great hall fireplaces that dominate successive floor levels. Each fireplace is set within an elaborate stone surround carved with the arms and heraldic devices of the Cromwell family, providing both functional heating for the rooms and permanent heraldic self-advertisement. The quality of this carving, in considerable contrast to the utilitarian brick of the walls, demonstrates the mixed materials approach typical of ambitious late medieval building. The castle was rescued from potential destruction in the early twentieth century by Lord Curzon, former Viceroy of India, who purchased it and had the tower restored. He also tracked down and repurchased the carved stone fireplaces that had been purchased and were about to be shipped to America by a dealer who recognised their value. The castle is now managed by the National Trust and the adjacent collegiate church adds further medieval interest to the site.