Woodcroft castle is a very early moated castle built in the time of Edward the I around 1280. It is now up for sale.
Woodcroft Castle was built at the end of the 13th century near the town of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. It was, perhaps, built under the guidance of John de Calceto (or Johannes de Cadamo, from Caux, in Normandy), who was Abbot of Peterborough in the reign of Edward I. He was responsible for the beautiful gate of the Bishop’s palace in Peterburough, which, like this house, has some foreign peculiarities. Woodcroft was probably built as a smaller version of Harlech Castle from around the same time.
The manor of Woodcraft was held by the Woodcrofts for the fee of “half a knight” from the Abbot of Peterborough. From around 1300 it was sub-let to tenants by the name of Preston. In 1545, Lord Fitzwilliam of Milton (a former citizen and merchant from London belonging to the Staple of Calais) bought the manor farm, which had been divided up into moieties and sold following the dissolution of the monasteries between 1536 -1541. The castle itself was possibly sold in the reign of Edward VI to Fitzwilliam, who owned the full property at the end of his life. It remained in the family for the next 450 years and was not sold until 1988.
The building
The main front on the W. is two storeys in height, with a square tower of three storeys in the centre. Here is the arched entrance to the interior, passing through, under two large arches, without any doors opening into the building, and having, at the back, a square projection with a staircase. Small windows light the basement of this wing. The principal storey, containing the hall on one side of the entrance tower, has the square-headed trefoil windows of the period in question, divided into two lights by a transom. The second storey was added in Victorian times.
The room over the gateway (in which there was no portcullis), was used as a chapel, and lighted by a large square-headed window. This room communicated by a staircase with the basement and the roof. The round tower is divided into three storeys, which are marked by five fine bold mouldings, and its basement is peculiar in having had no communicating doorway; so it must originally have been used as a prison, or storehouse, by means of a trap-door.
There was probably a courtyard at the centre and the 3 other sides, but the associated corner towers are no longer standing. It is probable that the west front with two round towers and the square gatehouse were the only completed parts of the fortified manor house. Possibly that was all that was ever intended, the rest of the quadrangle being occupied by timber buildings.
A later Tudor conversion retained these medieval elements into the current design. Woodcroft Castle was held by the Royalists during the English Civil War and was successfully attacked and taken by Parliamentary forces in 1648.Today, the castle is a Grade II* listed building.[6]
Hidden from view and enclosed by a range of mature trees, this stunning medieval castle is reflected in the still waters of a feature ancient moat, which is home to ducks and swans. Together with app 15 ha It is up for sale (September 2015)
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