Castle House, Bridgwater

Last updated

Castle House
CastleHouseBridgwater.JPG
Location Bridgwater, Somerset, England
Coordinates 51°07′45″N3°00′08″W / 51.12917°N 3.00222°W / 51.12917; -3.00222
Built1851
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameCastle House
Designated16 December 1974 [1]
Reference no.1355168
Somerset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Castle House in Somerset

Castle House is a house in Bridgwater, Somerset, England. Castle House is associated with two important Sedgemoor families, the Boards and the Ackermans; John Board (1802-1861) who extended his family's brick company into cement in 1844, and his grandson William Ackerman who joined the company in 1871 and is credited with the first ‘true’ Portland cement.’ Built in 1851 to resemble a Tudor gatehouse, the construction uses panels of prefabricated concrete, with significant further usage of concrete throughout the building.

Contents

Building

The house was built in 1851 for William Ackerman. [2] Much of the building is made of brick but it was one of the first buildings to make extensive use of Portland cement for pre-cast concrete. [3] The house is two storeys high and designed to look like an ornate Tudor gatehouse. Bays to the sides of the building form stairwells. [2] The building includes many ornamental, and some structural uses of concrete demonstrating "an innovative interpretation of traditional masonry features in concrete". [4] It was designated as a Grade II* listed building on 16 December 1974. [1] Inside, the building includes more concrete features, such as the staircase, the handrails and the window frames. [2]

Renovation

Castle House was a finalist in the 2nd BBC television series Restoration in 2004 and was supported by friends of Joe Strummer. [5]

It is included in the Heritage at Risk Register produced by English Heritage, [6] and English Heritage provided funding for the restoration project. [7]

In 2012 a grant of £300,000 was made by NNB Generation Company (part of Électricité de France) as part of monies paid to the local community for the development of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station to the SAVE Trust for the restoration of Castle House. [8] It was planned to transfer the building to the Bridgwater carnival once restoration was complete. [9]

In 2018 the scaffolding was finally removed as restoration of the façade was completed. Planning permission to convert the building into three flats had been obtained. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerset</span> County in South West England

Somerset is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east and the north-east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. The largest settlement is the city of Bath, and the county town is Taunton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgwater</span> Human settlement in England

Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 Census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sides of the River Parrett; it has been a major inland port and trading centre since the industrial revolution. Most of its industrial bases still stand today. Its larger neighbour, Taunton, is linked to Bridgwater via a canal, the M5 motorway and the GWR railway line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Parrett</span> River in Dorset and Somerset, England

The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset. Flowing northwest through Somerset and the Somerset Levels to its mouth at Burnham-on-Sea, into the Bridgwater Bay nature reserve on the Bristol Channel, the Parrett and its tributaries drain an area of 660 square miles (1,700 km2) – about 50 per cent of Somerset's land area, with a population of 300,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nether Stowey</span> Village in Somerset, England

Nether Stowey is a large village in Somerset, South West England. It sits in the foothills of the Quantock Hills, just below Over Stowey. The parish of Nether Stowey covers approximately 4 km2, with a population of 1,373.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgwater Bay</span> Bay in Bristol Channel

Bridgwater Bay is on the Bristol Channel, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Bridgwater in Somerset, England at the mouth of the River Parrett and the end of the River Parrett Trail. It stretches from Minehead at the southwestern end of the bay to Brean Down in the north. The area consists of large areas of mudflats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) covering an area of 3,574.1 hectares since 1989, and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The risks to wildlife are highlighted in the local Oil Spill Contingency Plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burnham-on-Sea</span> Town in Somerset, England

Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinkley Point</span> Headland on the Bristol Channel, England

Hinkley Point is a headland on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England, 5 miles north of Bridgwater and 5 mi (8 km) west of Burnham-on-Sea, close to the mouth of the River Parrett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgwater Castle</span>

Bridgwater Castle was a castle in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halswell House</span> Country house in Sedgemoor, UK

Halswell House is a Grade I listed country house in Goathurst, Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combwich</span> Village in Somerset, England

Combwich is a village in the parish of Otterhampton within the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufus Castle</span> Grade I listed castle in Dorset, England

Rufus Castle, also known as Bow and Arrow Castle, is a partially ruined castle overlooking Church Ope Cove on Portland, England. Its name derives from King William II, known as William Rufus, for whom the original castle was built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgwater and Taunton College</span> School in Bridgwater, Somerset, England

Bridgwater and Taunton College is a further education college based in the heart of Somerset, England, with main centres in Bridgwater, Taunton and Cannington. It educates approximately 3000 students between the ages of 16–18 in academic and vocational programmes in addition to several thousand part-time or mature students. The college was founded in 1973, although the history of its predecessor institutions dates to 1891.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade I listed buildings in Somerset</span> Buildings of exceptional interest in Somerset

The Grade I listed buildings in Somerset, England, demonstrate the history and diversity of its architecture. The ceremonial county of Somerset consists of a non-metropolitan county, administered by Somerset County Council, which is divided into five districts, and two unitary authorities. The districts of Somerset are West Somerset, South Somerset, Taunton Deane, Mendip and Sedgemoor. The two administratively independent unitary authorities, which were established on 1 April 1996 following the breakup of the county of Avon, are North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. These unitary authorities include areas that were once part of Somerset before the creation of Avon in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lions House, Bridgwater</span> Building in Bridgwater, England

The Lions House on West Quay in Bridgwater, Somerset, England was built around 1725 and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Street, Bridgwater</span> Building in Bridgwater, England

Castle Street in Bridgwater, Somerset, England was built in the 1720s, on a site previously occupied by Bridgwater Castle, by Benjamin Holloway or Fort and Shepherd, the Duke's London surveyors for James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. It was originally called Chandos Street. Many of the buildings have been designated as Grade I Listed buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Bridgwater</span> Port

The Port of Bridgwater is a port, originally located in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England. Created under the Bridgwater Navigation and Quays Act 1845 it extends from Brean Down to Hinkley Point in Bridgwater Bay, and parts of the rivers Parrett, River Brue and River Axe. Although no ships now dock in the town, in 2001 103,613 (metric) tonnes of cargo were handled within the area of the Port Authority, most of which were stone products through the wharf at Dunball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II* listed buildings in Sedgemoor</span>

Sedgemoor is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance; Grade II* structures are those considered to be "particularly significant buildings of more than local interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, severe restrictions are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or its fittings. In England, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Historic England, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; local authorities have a responsibility to regulate and enforce the planning regulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Square, Bridgwater</span>

King Square in Bridgwater within the English county of Somerset was laid out with large Georgian houses between 1770 and 1800 on the site of Bridgwater Castle. It is also the site of the Bridgwater War Memorial

References

  1. 1 2 "Castle House". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Castle House, Bridgwater". British Listed Building. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Warren, Derrick (2005). Curious Somerset. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 24. ISBN   978-0-7509-4057-3.
  4. ↑ "Castle House, Queen Street (South side), Bridgwater". Somerset Historic Environment Record. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  5. ↑ Jury, Louise (7 July 2004). "Bridgewater calling: Strummer's friends want concrete folly turned into memorial". The Independent. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "South West England". Heritage at Risk. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "The SAVE Trust - Castle House". Save Britain's Heritage. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Deed of Development Consent Obligations pursuant to section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 relating to Hinkley Point C, Somerset" (PDF). UK Government. pp. 48–49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "Architectural Fund 2012". Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "Bridgwater's miniature castle restored after £600k revamp". BBC. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.