Betchworth Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Betchworth Castle stands on a sandstone spur overlooking the west bank of the Mole, about 1.5 km north-east of Dorking, in the parish of Brockham. Despite its name, it is less a castle in the military sense than a large fortified manor house, the manor of West Betchworth, of which only a ruin of sandstone and brick remains today. Its documented history begins in 1377-1379, when Sir John Fitzalan, Marshal of England, obtained a licence to crenellate, probably for a site already occupied by an earlier structure. In the mid-15th century, Sir Thomas Browne obtained a new licence (1448) and largely rebuilt the house and its gardens. A 17th-century drawing by John Aubrey still shows a vast building of two to three storeys, crowned with crenellated parapets, tall chimney stacks and at least two corner towers. From 1791 successive owners reduced the building: William Fenwick pulled down the south-west wing, Henry Peters called in Sir John Soane in 1798, and then Henry Hope, who incorporated the park into the Deepdene estate in 1834, allowed the reusable stone to be removed. The north-east end survives as a ruin about 9 m high, while the south-west wing is preserved mainly below ground, with 18th-century terrace walls. Placed on the Heritage at Risk register, the site has been consolidated thanks to public and charitable funding.