CASTLE COURTYARD
The courtyard is greatly changed from its original 1441 configuration. For much of the Castle's history, it was a collection of working spaces, divided up into several distinct areas which were involved with provisioning the Castle inhabitants. There were sections for housing poultry, and for grain and flour storage. There was also a brewhouse and beer cellar, and a pump court for fresh water.
But like the rest of the Castle, the courtyard suffered from neglect, and it lay largely in ruins by 1775. Its features were documented by local East Sussex artists James Lambert and his nephew James Lambert the Younger, in 1776 and 1777, just prior to its controversial demolition by the new owner, Reverend Robert Hare. You can see what the courtyard looked like at that time in the image gallery on your GuideTags screen below. Nearly all traces of these utility areas were destroyed, leaving an open courtyard that remained unimproved for over 125 years.
Between 1911 and 1929, the remainder of the castle was almost entirely rebuilt during restoration work undertaken by Lieutenant-Colonel Claude Lowther, who bought the property to convert to a private residence. Lowther died in 1929, and final restoration was completed by Sir Paul Latham after he purchased the Castle in 1932, hiring architect Walter Hindes Godfrey to rebuild the interior. Godfrey was responsible for the well-executed installation of the cloistered walkway along the north interior wall of the Castle courtyard, along with several other attractive architectural embellishments that improved upon the more utilitarian restorations undertaken by Lowther. The courtyard area was landscaped and manicured, but was retained as an open space at the heart of the Castle building, as it remains today.
The following is courtesy BBC Southern Counties News Channel, Friday, 22 September 2006 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/5371000.stm)
| Appeal buys historic watercolours | ||
| A collection of historic watercolour drawings of an East Sussex castle has been bought by the local public record office after an appeal for funds. Over £7,000 was raised to buy the 14 drawings of Herstmonceux Castle, produced by local artists James Lambert and his nephew in 1776. A £4,500 grant was also made by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Visitors can see the drawings at East Sussex Record Office in Lewes. Picture gallery: Herstmonceux drawings "These watercolour drawings are a major acquisition of national importance," said East Sussex County Council cabinet member Councillor Bob Tidy. "They are part of the history of Herstmonceux and East Sussex and could easily have ended up in a private collection." The Lambert Portfolio was commissioned by the then owner of Herstmonceux Castle, Lord Dacre, who paid £110. The collection passed down through the family until it was sold to a dealer at auction last year, who sold it to the county council. It shows the layout and interior of the medieval castle, one of the first major brick buildings in England, much of which was later demolished. ... The Lambert Portfolio was subsequently taken over by The Keep, the consolidated archives and collections of the University of Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton & Hove Record Office, and Brighton & Hove Museums. https://www.thekeep.info/collections/getrecord/GB179_ACC9374_1 |
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Hussey, Christopher. 1935. The Restoration of Herstmonceux Castle - II. Sussex. The Seat of Sir Paul Latham, Bt. Country Life, December 1935, pp. 606-612.
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