Somerton Castle and Outbuilding to North-West is a Grade I listed building in the North Kesteven local planning authority area, England. First listed on 23 August 1967. A C14 Castle, farmhouse. 16 related planning applications.

Somerton Castle and Outbuilding to North-West

WRENN ID
empty-steel-pigeon
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
North Kesteven
Constituency
Sleaford and North Hykeham MP: Dr Caroline Johnson (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
23 August 1967
Type
Castle, farmhouse
Address
Somerton Castle and Outbuilding to North-West, Castle Lane, Boothby Graffoe, LN5 0LL
OS grid reference
SK 954 587
Coordinates
53.11751, -0.57558
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: EPC · related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Somerton Castle, along with an outbuilding to the northwest, is a Grade I listed structure that represents the remains of a medieval castle that has been converted into a farmhouse. The castle dates from the early 14th century, with later additions from the late 16th century and the 19th century. It is constructed from coursed rubble, ashlar, and brick, and features plain tile and pantile roofs. A license to crenellate was granted to Antony Bele, Bishop of Durham, in 1281, and the castle was likely completed by 1305.

The structure includes a single surviving tower and an L-shaped wing added in the late 16th century, with further minor additions made in the 19th century. The southeast tower stands four storeys high and has a conical tiled roof, with blocked arrow slits and a single 14th-century window still visible. The three-storey late 16th-century wing to the east has roughly three bays, with irregularly placed casement windows under wooden lintels and a 19th-century panelled door. There are also two casement dormers and a single gabled bay to the east, which features a coped gable with a finial and three flush sash windows, likely from the early 18th century, set under 16th-century moulded hoods. Additionally, there is an early 19th-century two-storey brick extension to the north, along with a smaller two-storey and then single-storey range to the northeast, built from coursed rubble with a pantile roof. Notably, King John I of France was imprisoned here from 1359 to 1360.

Local climate

Somerton Castle and Outbuilding to North-West sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 720 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 81% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 88% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 59% of listed buildings. Of these, 17 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 16 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. South-West Outbuilding at Somerton Castle Grade I 46 m
  2. Orchard Outbuilding at Somerton Castle Grade I 74 m
  3. The Old House Grade II 2.7 km
  4. Ivy House Grade II 2.7 km
  5. Coleby Hall Grade II* 2.8 km
  6. The Manor House Grade II 2.8 km
  7. Church of All Saints Grade I 2.8 km
  8. Coach House at Coleby Hall Grade II 2.8 km
  9. 2 Well Heads Grade II 2.8 km
  10. Glebe House Grade II 2.9 km