The Remains Of Donnington Castle

Donnington Castle is a destroyed middle age palace arranged in the little town of Donnington only north of the town of Newbury in Berkshire. It was established by Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder in 1386 and was purchased by Thomas Chaucer before the stronghold was taken under illustrious control during the Tudor time frame. During the First English Civil War the château was held by the traditionalist Sir John Boys and withstood a 18-month attack; after the post in the end gave up Parliament casted a ballot to obliterate Donnington Castle in 1646. Just the gatehouse endures. The site is under the consideration of English Heritage and is shielded from unapproved change as a booked old landmark. The estate of Donnington had been claimed by the Abberbury family since 1292, Donnington Castle was worked by its unique proprietor Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder under a permit allowed by Richard II in 1386. It is a great place for history buffs to explore the remains which can be reached by using reading station taxi.

The enduring palace gatehouse dates from this time. In 1398, the stronghold was offered to Thomas Chaucer who is the child of the artist Geoffrey Chaucer as a home for his girl Alice who later became Duchess of Suffolk. The Duke of Suffolk William De La Pole made Donnington his infrequent home and significantly developed the buildings. This family later dropped out with the Tudor rulers and the stronghold turned into an illustrious property. In 1514 it was given to Charles Brandon, first Duke of Suffolk. In spite of the fact that Brandon seems to have remained at the Donnington Castle in 1516 when the mansion and house got back to the Crown in 1535 the design was in a condition of decay. In 1590 Elizabeth I allowed keepership to Elizabeth Cooke Lady Russell the principal lady to hold such a title in England. In 1600 Elizabeth I gave the château and encompassing estate to Charles Howard, first Earl of Nottingham. By the time the English Civil War broke out in 1643, the stronghold was claimed by the Parliamentarian John Packer family however after the First Battle of Newbury it was taken for the King, Charles I and held by Sir John Boys.

They immediately improved the manor's guards by adding earthworks in a star shape to give weapon emplacements. Parliamentarians laid attack to the château in October 1644 and the post waited for year and a half. With authorization from the lord, Boys gave up the château in April 1646 and was permitted to leave with all his men. In 1646 Parliament casted a ballot to crush the stronghold; just the gatehouse was left standing however the seventeenth century earthworks can in any case be seen. The manor is currently being taken care of by English Heritage and is a planned antiquated landmark number 233041.The mansion remained in the Packer family until the mid eighteenth century when Robert Packer wedded Mary Winchcombe and the property passed into the Winchcombe genealogy. Donnington Castle was initially inherent a generally rectangular structure however the west veneer projected outwards irregularly. It was encased by a drape divider with a round tower at every one of the four corners.

Generally most of the way along the two dividers running from west to east were two square pinnacles. The patio encased by the drapery dividers would presumably have contained a corridor, kitchens and convenience for guests. Measured from the internal sides of the shade dividers, the yard estimated 67 feet north to south and 108 ft east to west. During the Civil War star-molded protections were worked around the stronghold to encourage weapon emplacements. Just the gatehouse peaked by towers endure the manor's obliteration in 1646 standing three stories high, it estimates 17.5 by 11.75 feet internally. Modern dividers standing 0.5 meters high framework the first design of the wrecked stronghold. The star-molded earthworks added during the Civil War are as yet noticeable getting by to a tallness of 1.7 m. It is a good look into the bygone era that can be reached using taxi in reading services.