Belvoir Castle

Belvoir Castle is a Norman castle substantially rebuilt in the 16th century, demolished in 1649, and reconstructed between 1655 and 1668 on a courtyard plan. It was extensively remodelled between 1801 and 1830 by James Wyatt, supervised by Sir John Thoroton, who retained the original courtyard disposition. A fire in 1816 destroyed the north and east wings; these were subsequently rebuilt by Thoroton, as Wyatt had died in 1813. Thoroton completed Wyatt's standing wings, with decorations by Benjamin Dean Wyatt, Philip Wyatt, and others from the Wyatt studio.

Exterior

The castle is constructed of ironstone with limestone dressings and slate roofs, featuring an irregular plan with asymmetrical facades in Romantic Mixed Gothic style. Four corner towers mark the extent of medieval and Tudor building, retaining some surviving masonry. The entrance front faces north, formed of a 3-bay porte cochere extending from the main wall by a long covered corridor. The main elevation accommodates the King's Rooms, terminating on either side with 3-4 storey square towers featuring angle buttresses and machicolated and crenellated parapets. Windows throughout are mainly upright cross casements.

The west front has in its principal floor the Regent's Gallery, extending from the square corner tower to the chapel. A massive circular 3-storey tower on a 2-storey basement rises to the left, terminating in a crenellated parapet, with 5 window bays of round heads and deeply splayed basement windows. The chapel features a 3-bay loggia between polygonal full-height turrets, above which are 3 two-light Perpendicular windows of ecclesiastical character. A rectangular tower with an oriel closes the facade to the south-west, also crenellated with a circular bartizan.

The south front is simpler, with a central full-height canted bay flanked by 4 bays on either side, all with crenellated parapets. A massive square south-east tower, known as the Staunton Tower, retains considerable medieval masonry to its lower storeys, with a rectangular stair turret to its left.

The east front is dominated by a gigantic rectangular tower by Thoroton, extending from the inner courtyard to project 3 bays from the facade before forming a canted end. It has deeply splayed basement windows, zig-zag Norman decoration to the first-floor windows, and stepped buttresses at intervals. The crenellated parapet bristles with circular crenellated towers, and at the inner north corner in the courtyard stands a large bartizan tower extending higher still. The range to the left comprises the Chinese Rooms, whilst the range to the right contains the Grand Dining Room.

The inner courtyard is of trapezoid shape, tapering to the south. All sides except the south comprise 2 distinct ranges in thickness. The north end houses the Picture Gallery (behind the King's Rooms), the west side contains the Library (behind the Regent's Gallery and Chapel), and the east side features the Grand Corridor or Ballroom (behind the Chinese Rooms). Surrounding the castle are outer walls with round crenellated towers at intervals. Guarding the approach from the north-west is the Battery, the base of a triangular masonry fortification of Norman origin.

Interior

The rooms are mostly Gothic in character, modelled by Thoroton on Lincoln Cathedral. The entrance leads to the Guardroom, a 2-storey space with a flat lierne vault and open 4-centred arches with dog-tooth moulding, offering views to the Grand Staircase. The Grand Staircase itself features double flights entered through a Perpendicular full-height doorway, with wrought iron balusters and infill leading to a low tierceron vaulted landing with numerous 4-centred arches and piers. A similar but more restrained staircase rises behind Thoroton's east tower, leading to the Grand Corridor: 3 paired arches of 13th-century type with traceried spandrels based on Lincoln Cathedral, supported by engaged wall columns beneath a lierne vault.

The Chinese Rooms lead off the Corridor, featuring much gilt plasterwork in the ceiling. The Elizabeth Saloon occupies Thoroton's tower, decorated in 1824 by M.C. Wyatt in Louis Quatorze style with a ceiling painting of the Triumph of Juno, elaborate gilt coving, and carved gilt boiserie to the walls. The Grand Dining Room to the north, by Benjamin and Philip Wyatt, features wall arches in Roman mode on marble piers with gilt boiserie and a coffered ceiling. The Picture Gallery, also by Benjamin and Philip Wyatt, displays a heavy coved cornice on scrolled consoles beneath 3 floating groin vaults, within whose arches are Diocletian windows. The Regent's Gallery, by James Wyatt, is the elaborated old Long Gallery extending to the large west bay of his tower, with gilt cornices and a fireplace by M.C. Wyatt. The Chapel features a lierne vault and attenuated Gothick panelling with gabled ogee arches. Many other subsidiary rooms are present throughout the castle.