The Castle

The Castle is a sham ruined castle gatehouse located in Roundhay Park, Leeds. It was built in the early 19th century and restored in the 20th century for Thomas Nicholson. The structure is made of random rubble with stone dressings. It features a high pointed archway with a dripmould, flanked by high circular turrets that contain stone newel stairs. The design includes a quatrefoil traceried 'window', mock arrow slits, and vertical light slits for the stairs, with doorways at the base of the turrets. The tops of the walls and the crenellation have been consolidated and rebuilt since 1976. Although the interior has not been inspected, the castle serves as a viewpoint in the extensive grounds that were laid out between 1803 and 1821 by Nicholson after he purchased the park from the 17th Baron Stourton. It overlooks the Waterloo Lake and faces the former Braim Farm, which has been rebuilt in a mock medieval style and is now known as Cobble Hall on Elmet Lane.