Bolingbroke Castle
Kerry Culbert braves wind and snow to inspect the birthplace of King Henry IV
One of the few places open in lockdown, the castle at Bolingbroke was under siege in the English Civil War and was the birthplace of King Henry IV.
Deep in rural Lincolnshire, down narrow, winding roads that time seems to have passed by, lies Old Bolingbroke village and the remains of a castle that saw action in the English Civil War. The village has a real old English country feel to it and grew up around the castle. Some of the stones used in the construction of the houses were pilfered from the castle site itself.
Bolingbroke Castle is hexagonal in design, set three miles from Spilsby in Lincolnshire. It’s quite a flat site, overlooked by hills on three sides, which would suggest defence was not the primary motivation.
The area was first fortified by the Saxons in the 6th century but this was one of three castles that were built by Ranulf de Blundeville, Earl of Chester and Lincoln, in the 1220s. It’s mostly known, however, as the birthplace of Henry IV in 1367 and for being under siege by Cromwell’s Parliamentarians in 1643 for two months.
It remained in the hands of various Earls of Lincoln until it was inherited by John of Gaunt, Earl of Lancaster. In the 15th and 16th centuries it became an administrative centre for the Duchy of Lancaster. By the 17th century the castle was a Royalist stronghold and came under siege in 1643 as part of the
Battle of Winceby in the English Civil War. It was held back and forth by both sides until 1652 when it was destroyed to prevent further use. Some of the towers were torn down and pushed into the moat. Surveys towards the end of the 17th century showed that only a few towers remained and the last main structure collapsed in 1815.
The castle was about 250ft across, surrounded by a large moat of 100ft in width. It was a typical enclosure type design with the curtain wall and towers enclosing a courtyard. The curtain wall was 12ft thick with five towers and was approached
via a wooden drawbridge which lead through to a gatehouse. These are long gone but you can still walk over the partially filled moat through the entrance between two of the towers. Inside, you can imagine what the
Great Hall looked like thanks to the illustrations on the information boards that are placed around the site.
What is left was built around 1400 to replace the original Hall. The kitchens have been reburied to protect them. Originally the towers were used to house provisions, soldiers and maintenance staff. Prisoners awaiting trial at the local courthouse in later times were also held there.
Parts of the 13th century towers and the base of the wall are intact while the King’s Tower at the southwest corner dates from the 15th century. This was rebuilt between 1444 and 1456 to reflect the owner’s wealth and importance. Remains of service
buildings in this area were found during excavations in the 1960s.
The Auditor’s Tower is so called because the Auditor stayed there during yearly visits and you can walk around inside this. From here you can see the Rout Yard, which is a field to the south of the castle, with a rectangular earth mound thought to once hold stray cattle. There is speculation it might have also been a fishpond or fort.
The courtyard is now given over to grass and is uneven in places. You can enter the bases of some towers but the sunken ones are muddy and prone to flooding. It’s set on a gentle slope with panoramic views of important landmarks and you can see why it was built where it was. There are ledges to stand on, at the right side and furthest point from the main entrance. You can look over and get a feel for being a soldier pouring tar on those laying siege. From here you can make out important village landmarks such as St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Church, though these would have appeared after construction of the castle.
There’s limited parking at both entrances on Moat Lane. The site is open to the elements and as such was fully accessible during lockdown, as long as you don’t travel far to access it. It’s a good place to take exercise and glean facts about the fortress from boards dotted around the site. You can also wander right round the perimeter. The partially filled moat attracts bird life as well.
There are no amenities on site but there’s a pub in the village of
Old Bolingbroke when lockdown restrictions are eased.