Keeping The Keep

 Mitford CastleWork to prevent what is believed to be the only five-sided keep in England from disappearing forever continues this month in Northumberland with the latest grant from English Heritage.

After more than a thousand tumultuous years during which 12th century Mitford Castle near Morpeth in Northumberland was burnt down by King John, confiscated by Henry III and sacked by Robert the Bruce, emergency repairs were carried out in 2005 following an £80,000 grant from English Heritage.

Now a further grant of £82,000 will help pay for a second phase of conservation works on the Scheduled Monument which includes consolidation of what was the castle keep and the eastern wall.

Carol Pyrah, English Heritage Planning and Development Director for the North East, said: “Mitford Castle has had an eventful past, situated right at the heart of the warring borders between Scotland and England and subject to many violent onslaughts down the centuries. We were in danger of losing everything the remains had to tell us about Medieval defensive buildings, so it was vital that we helped save what we could.”

In 2005, the offending tree roots were carefully removed and loose stones on the upper reaches of the castle walls were numbered, set aside and replaced exactly using specialist techniques and materials. This latest grant will mean that similar meticulous conservation work can be carried out on the keep and the eastern wall of the castle to ensure no further deterioration occurs.

English Heritage is working in partnership with the castle’s owner and Mitford resident Bruce Shepherd, and his architect Cyril Winskell who was brought in to carry out a full structural survey of the castle and an assessment of the work that needed to be carried out.

Cyril Winskell said: “Despite the hammerings it’s taken both in Border conflicts and from hundreds of years of weathering, the Castle’s existing core of the walls is in remarkably good condition and very little grouting has been needed to secure it. There are still many mysteries the castle and the whole area around can potentially yield up to archaeologists. This work is the second of three phases that will safeguard the site from further deterioration.”

Owner of the Mitford estate Bruce Shepherd said: “The castle forms the historic centrepiece of the estate and it has long been an ambition of mine to ensure it remains for future generations to enjoy and appreciate. The financial assistance and advisory support from English Heritage have played a major part in achieving this.”

The home of the Barons of Mitford for hundreds of years, the motte and bailey castle – in ruins since the 14th century - is on English Heritage’s Buildings at Risk Register as it is in very poor condition.