Restoration of the South Gatehouse

After experiencing neglect for almost seventy years, the walls of Herstmonceux Castle were given new life in 1912 thanks to Colonel Claude Lowther, who had purchased the castle a few years prior. The castle exterior, which had fallen into considerable ruin over the years, required a tremendous amount of work to restore its once grand appearance. One of the many restorations Lowther prioritized was with the Castle's most prominent exterior feature: the Gatehouse.

Traditionally, gatehouses are used as a means of controlled entry for individuals entering a Castle and for the protection of residents. The original fifteenth-century gatehouse stood proudly on the south side of the Castle for more than two centuries. After the sale of the estate in the 1700s, encroaching ivy covered the original clay brickwork, obscuring its features and destabilizing the brickwork.

Given the literal and symbolic importance of the gatehouse entrance, restoring it to its original state was a priority for Lowther and his team.

While the gatehouse brickwork was well-made and showed no signs of deterioration, years of neglect and ivy growth had destroyed the mortar in its upper sections. Lowther removed all portions of the structure that were unstable and rebuilt them according to the original design. If you look closely at the brickwork, you can see where new mortar was replaced during the reconstruction. Salvaging and re-using the original bricks retained the marvellous surface patina they had developed over the centuries.

Despite the removal of ivy from this section of the outside walls, Lowther encouraged its growth on the still-unrestored sections of the castle, to prevent the castle from appearing "naked". This resulted in large portions of the wall being covered in ivy during Lowther's occupation of the castle.

Lowther also made restorations to other portions of the Castle's south end, including the roof, by adding an unobtrusive peaked third storey covered with clay tile. These renovations seen behind the gatehouse were sympathetic to the original design, concealing the roof peaks and chimneys behind the crenellations so that the battements could still be seen against the sky.

Overall, the south gatehouse is one of the oldest, most distinct features of the Herstmonceux Estate. Once in a fragile condition, Lowther restored the gatehouse to its original, imposing yet inviting presence, welcoming visitors once again.