Someries castle

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Someries castle

Someries Castle (sometimes spelled Summeries castle) is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, near Luton in Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom. It was built in the 15th century by Sir John Wenlock. Although always referred to as a castle it was actually a fortified manor house.

Someries Castle's name was derived from William de Someries who had a residence on this site. The site was then acquired by Wenlock in 1430 and the mansion was built. The house is unique in that it is regarded as one of the first brick buildings in England. Although the house was never completed by Wenlock, and was partly demolished in the 18th century, the magnificent brickwork can still be seen in the remains of the gatehouse incorporating the chapel and lodge which still stands today.

The castle is now in ruins and all that remains is the gatehouse to the actual manor house and the chapel that was connected to it. The remains of the original manor house are now visible only as earthworks that outline the plot where once the house originally stood. The bricks from the manor house were used to build the nearby farm houses in the 17th century.^[1]

The remaining ruins would be destroyed to make way for an additional runway at nearby Luton Airport if the present expansion plans receive approval.

Worryingly, the Castle has recently (in February 2007) been closed to the public and is surrounded by scaffolding, which has damaged the original brickwork. No explanatory signs are present at the scene, and Bedfordshire County Council have given no explanation as to the reason for this.

[edit] Further reading

T. P. Smith, "Someries Castle", Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal, 3, 35-51, 1966.
T. P. Smith, "Someries Castle: some reconsiderations", Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal, 5, 109-112, 1970.
T. P. Smith, "The early brickwork of Someries Castle, Bedfordshire and its place in the history of English brick building," Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 129, 42-58, 1976.