Belvoir Castle (/ˈbiːvə/ (About this sound listen) BEE-və) is a stately home in the English county of Leicestershire, overlooking the Vale of Belvoir (grid reference SK820337)
Belvoir Castle (/ˈbiːvə/ (About this sound listen) BEE-və) is a stately home in the English county of Leicestershire, overlooking the Vale of Belvoir (grid reference SK820337). It is a Grade I listed building. A corner of the castle is still used as the family home of the Manners family and remains the seat of the Dukes of Rutland, most of whom are buried in the grounds of the mausoleum there. The castle remains privately owned and is open to visitors.
The castle is near several villages, including Redmile, Woolsthorpe, Knipton, Harston, Harlaxton, Croxton Kerrial and Bottesford and the town of Grantham. Antiquarian John Leland wrote in the 16th century, "the castle stands on the very nape of a high hill, steep up each way, partly by nature, partly by the working of men's hands."
History
First castle
A Norman castle originally stood on the high ground within the wapentake of Framland, overlooking the adjacent wapentake of Winnibriggs in Lincolnshire and dominating both.It was built on the land of Robert de Todeni of the Doomsday Book, and inherited from him by William d'Aubigny. It then eventually passed to William's granddaughter Isabel, who married Robert de Ros circa 1234.
Belvoir was a royal manor until it was granted to Robert de Ros in 1257. He was given a licence to crenellate in 1267. When that family died out in 1508, the manor and castle passed to George Manners, who inherited the castle and barony through his mother. His son was created Earl of Rutland in 1525.
Second castle
The Norman castle had been in ruins since 1464 and John Manners, 9th Earl of Rutland, started construction of a new castle from 1528.:21 Much of the stone for this building came from Croxton Abbey and Belvoir Priory following their dissolution.:22
In the early 17th century, castle servants Joan, Margaret and Phillipa Flower were accused of murdering the 6th Earl's two young sons by witchcraft. Joan died while in prison and Margaret and Phillipa were hanged.
During the English Civil War, it was one of the more notable strongholds of the king's supporters and King Charles spent a night here on his way into Lincolnshire.:30
Third castle
In 1649 the castle was destroyed by Parliamentarians. A new building was started in 1654 which was designed as a large family home.8 It was designed by the architect John Webb and work was completed by 166832 and cost £11,730 (equivalent to £1,850,000 in 2016).
The 9th Earl was created Duke of Rutland in 1703. Belvoir castle has been the home of the Manners family for five hundred years and seat of the Dukes of Rutland for over three centuries.
Fourth castle
The castle was rebuilt in the romantic Gothic Revival style to designs by James Wyatt between 1799 and 1816, but on 26 October 1816 it was almost destroyed by a fire. The loss was estimated at £120,000 (equivalent to £8,430,000 in 2016), including pictures by Titian, Rubens, Van Dyck and Reynolds.
It was rebuilt again to largely the same designs, by the wife of the 5th Duke at a cost of £82,000 (equivalent to £6,990,000 in 2016) and was largely completed by 1832. The architect Sir James Thornton:50 (who was the Duke's friend and chaplain and Vicar of Bottesford) was chiefly responsible for this rebuilding, and the result is a building which bears a superficial resemblance to a medieval castle, its central tower reminiscent of Windsor Castle.
Whilst visiting Belvoir castle in the 1840s, Anna, Duchess of Bedford, found that the normal time for dinner was between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. An extra meal called luncheon had been created to fill the midday gap between breakfast and dinner, but as this new meal was very light, the long afternoon with no refreshment at all left people feeling hungry. She found a light meal of tea (usually Darjeeling) and cakes or sandwiches was the perfect balance. The Duchess found taking an afternoon snack to be such a perfect refreshment that she soon began inviting her friends to join her. Afternoon tea quickly became an established and convivial repast in many middle and upper class households.
The castle is open to the public and contains many works of art. The Queen's Royal Lancers Regimental Museum of the 17th and 21st Lancers was established here in 1964, but was required to leave in October 2007. The highlights of the tour are the lavish staterooms, the most famous being the Elizabeth Saloon (named after the wife of the 5th Duke), the Regents Gallery and the Roman inspired State Dining Room
Dorset Street: FREE (2 h)
https://www.belvoircastle.com/visiting-events/visitor-information/
https://www.belvoircastle.com/visiting-events/visitor-information/
https://www.belvoircastle.com/visiting-events/visitor-information/
https://www.belvoircastle.com/contact-us/
Please note that NO photography within the Castle is allowed and we ask that mobile phones be switched off whilst in the Castle.