Tiverton Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Perched above the Exe, just south of Tiverton's parish church, this quadrangular castle was for more than two centuries the seat of the Courtenays, Earls of Devon. Born of a Norman fortification founded around 1106 by Richard de Redvers, it was rebuilt in local purple volcanic stone from the 14th century onwards, around an enclosed courtyard. Today the ensemble combines ruins and inhabited parts. To the south and west survive the high curtain wall, a square corner tower that served as a chapel and solar, a garderobe tower overlooking the river and the base of a round tower; these uninhabited remains are protected as a Scheduled Monument. To the east, the medieval gatehouse is still passed through, while a late 17th-century house occupies the north-east corner of the courtyard. The castle lived through a notable episode in October 1645, when Fairfax's artillery broke the drawbridge chain and allowed the assault. Subsequently slighted, it was remodelled by merchants and then by the Carews. A private residence, it welcomes visitors on certain dates, displays a collection of Civil War arms and armour, and offers accommodation.