Rockingham Northamptonshire
Rockingham Castle near Corby in Northamptonshire is a royal castle of Norman origins that has been developed into a private house of considerable historical interest over nine centuries, its position on a commanding ridge above the Welland Valley providing exceptional views across the valley into Leicestershire and the castle fabric reflecting the transformation from medieval fortification to comfortable country house that occurred progressively from the Tudor period onward. The castle has been occupied by the Watson family since the sixteenth century and is open to visitors during the summer season. The castle was built by William the Conqueror and subsequently used by the English kings, particularly John and the Edwards, as a hunting base for the royal forest of Rockingham that once covered much of this part of Northamptonshire. The great circular earthwork banks of the Norman fortification still define the outer perimeter of the castle, enclosing the courtyard and later buildings within the Norman defensive scheme. Henry VIII granted the castle to Edward Watson in 1530 and subsequent generations of the family transformed the military structure into the house visible today. Charles Dickens stayed at Rockingham Castle several times between 1847 and 1852 as the guest of the Watsons, and he used the castle as the model for Chesney Wold in Bleak House, giving the building a literary association of considerable prestige. The connection is celebrated in the castle's interpretive material and the rooms used by Dickens during his visits retain an association with the novelist's extraordinary imagination. The Welland Valley landscape visible from the castle ridge, the ancient ridge and furrow earthworks in the surrounding fields and the extensive estate woodland provide an excellent setting for the castle visit.