Leicestershire 1 - a romantic ruin with a french name and a link to Ivanhoe - Ashby de la Zouch

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Leaving Calke Abbey we felt full to bursting. The National Trust kitchens and tea rooms always deliver a decent meal made with fresh and inventive products at a reasonable price in particular nice settings. . We felt though still a bit frustrated that we had failed to see the house in its full un-stately condition. Oh well you win some and you miss others. There is so much to see so perhaps we will get back one day.

The Park with its tranquil and welcoming grounds. Ticknall Limeyards where there are the remains of the lime burning industry; the Tramway built between 1799 and 1802 which linked the new canal with the Limeyards; the reservoirs and ponds. But we were moving just down the road to the next county of Leicestershire and to the town of Ashby de la Zouch and its castle.

The journey took us through pretty villages with cottages thatched, over a long bridge which looked just like a causeway over what must have in the ancient past been a flood plain. Into Ashby with its industrial building and trading estates. Parking for the castle was in a private car park. The town itself was quite interesting with many small shops and very few of the national chains. A small market hall, a old grammar school and a well used tennis court . It seemed a busy little town. For us entrance was again free . Two places in one day , we had saved rather a lot of money. Being members of CADW we were able to access free entry to this English Heritage site.

The site unlike Calke was totally empty. None of the young children with their parents. None of the crowds out for the day. Of the two places Calke seemed to be the one most visited. We were at the time the only visitors . The castle was just a romantic ruin much of it blown up by Cromwells forces. Sadly it must have been wonderful when it was complete . Now impressive but just a pale remnant reminding us of its glorious past. The grey stones covered in moss.

The site originated as a Norman fortified manor house in the 12th century founded by Alain de Parrhoet, la Zouch, out of Breton, France. During the next three centuries it was extended by his descendants, but when the Zouch succession line ended in the 14th century, the castle changed ownership many times as did many properties at the time .. In 1461, the castle reverted to the Crown after the then owner James Butler the 5th Earl of Ormonde, was executed after the Battle of Towton, a battle from the War of the Roses.

The castle was a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War and was highly fortified. It was easy as we walked around to see the thickness of the walls and the beauty of the castle buildings which included a lovely chapel with the skeletons of the gothic tracery of the windows still wonderful despite being open to the sky and the elements . There were imformation boards around the site which showed impressions of what the castle looked like in its heyday. Other boards showed the glory of the chapel and the long lost tryptych that once adorned the private altar. Around the grounds were the buildings which were to see battle and finally surrender when it was slighted by the Parliamentarians. Like many castles whose owners supported the wrong side the outer fortifications were levelled and pulled down to the ground. How fickle war is ? Chose the wrong side as they did here and your castle is raised to the ground and your wealth taken away from you. .

It is possible to climb to the top of the Hastings tower (there are 98 steps), and to explore the underground passage from the kitchen basements to the Hastings tower. We decided not to climb to the top although the views would have been quite interesting. The day was sadly hot and muggy.

The gardens in their time must have been impressive but all that remains are open spaces of grass with huge areas dug out. Originally full of formal bushes and trees and flower gardens nothing sadly remains. A single tower used for hunting stands partially demolished in one corner of the grounds.

Another claim to fame for the castle was the publication of Sir Walter Scotts 1819 novel Ivanhoe which brought the castle to the publics notice .

It didnt take long to walk around the castle but it made a lovely end to a nice day out. We had had a lovely day and were now planning the next one. Tickets booked for South Wingfield Manor a week on Saturday. But ...................and there is always a but .................we long to be on the road again with Suzy. So much to see and just not enough time to do it.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Leicestershire
Nice structure.