Summerhouse And Curtain Wall At Benington Lordship (30 Metres To South East Of House)

The summerhouse and adjoining curtain wall at Benington Lordship were built around 1842 by James Pulham for the Proctor family. The structure is made of flint and stucco, designed to resemble ashlar, with a flint wall featuring external buttresses. The eastern part of the summerhouse, which is hidden, is constructed of red brick and has a pitched tile roof. It is located on the bank of the inner edge of the moat surrounding the inner bailey of a medieval castle. The main facade faces west and is connected to the gatehouse at the northwest, which is attached to the Lordship.

The front features a ruined tower with machicolations above a wide Romanesque arched doorway that has two recessed orders and a hood mould, both decorated with chevron ornament. There are demi-figures holding battle axes as stops, and stiff leaf caps adorn the corner shafts. Above the door is a winged head and a cartouche with a runic inscription. The doorway is designed for inward-opening doors.

Inside, the space is a square cell approximately 3 meters wide, with walls lined in stucco to mimic ashlar. Each corner has a tas de charge on a corbel head, showing marks from a former plaster groined vault. A central round-headed niche in the back wall holds a renewed Buddha figure above a large stone inscribed tablet, which is a memorial to Aurchilus Zosimos, a slave and business representative. The tablet features a six-line Greek inscription, along with a later inscription noting that the ancient monument was discovered near Alexandria Troas by Captain John Gordon and given to George Proctor in 1832. Iron brackets are set into each side wall, presumably to support a helmet and gauntlets.