Norris Castle

Norris Castle is a marine villa built between about 1799 and 1804 by the architect James Wyatt for Lord Henry Seymour. It is constructed of coursed and squared sandstone and Bembridge limestone with flint galletting—small stones set decoratively into the mortar joints—using Roman cement mortar. The roofs are covered in slate.

The building follows an elongated linear plan designed to maximise its visual impact when viewed from the Solent. From south-east to north-west it comprises a semi-circular bastion, a substantial three-storey round tower, a single-storey service wing, a two-storey enclosed courtyard, and another semi-circular bastion. The castle is deliberately longer than it is wide to enhance its imposing appearance from the sea.

Setting and Exterior

The castle stands centrally towards the north-east edge of its landscaped park, with its principal façade overlooking lawns that slope directly down to the sea. The main residential wing at the south-east end is dominated by a substantial three-storey round tower with an additional attic storey, a crenelated parapet, and a circular stair turret. The tower has five bays of round windows (oculi) at attic level, then round-headed sash windows to the three lower storeys which progressively increase in height towards the ground floor.

Adjoining the round tower is the remainder of the residential portion: a square two-storey block with three square towers, each of three floors, projecting on the north-west side. Extending north-westward is the service wing and enclosed service yard with battlemented parapets and towers along each length. The entire castle stands on a battered plinth at basement level, separated from the ground floor above by a bold roll moulding. It has lead rainwater goods and flashings, clay chimney pots, and an early 19th-century weathervane on the stair turret.

The south-west elevation serves as the entrance front. The residential wing has five bays on this side: four bays of round-headed sashes and, at the centre, a projecting entrance porch with a four-centred arch and embattled parapet. This leads to a Gothic doorway with a studded timber door, side lights formed of pointed lancets, and a fanlight under a four-centred arch. The fifth bay is a projecting two-storey tower with an additional attic storey—one of three towers in the five-bay return wall rising above the service wing. It contains two round-headed sashes and an oculus at attic level.

The service wing is single storey on this front, comprising seven bays: six bays of six-over-six sashes and a projecting squat double-height tower at the centre. The tower is approached by a stone staircase and has a square-headed doorway with a studded door and three rectangular lights, with an oculus above. This wing has an embattled parapet behind a lean-to roof covering a corridor between the residential wing and enclosed service yard.

The service yard is positioned in the centre of a substantial two-storey block with a basement. It projects outwards from the elevation with a two-bay return wall on the south-east side. The block is nine bays long with square towers projecting at each angle, a substantial tower with a four-centred carriage arch projecting at the centre, and a crenelated parapet. The carriage arch contains studded timber double doors beneath a sash window set into a room above. The rest of the block has irregular fenestration comprising round or square-headed sashes and oculi. At the north-west end the castle is five bays wide with round or square-headed sashes and terminates in a projecting semi-circular bastion. A small round-headed doorway with a studded timber door is positioned in the centre of the north-west wall of the bastion.

The north-east elevation forms the principal façade facing the Solent. The castle is built into a slope and is therefore taller on this side with a continuous basement level lit by round-headed sashes beneath the roll moulding. At the north-west, the block forming the enclosed service yard matches the south-west front except that a round-headed sash replaces the carriage arch. The attached service wing is six bays wide and single storey above the basement, with a projecting tower at the centre with an additional attic level. This tower has narrow side turrets, round-headed sashes to the ground floor, and oculi above.

Further south-east is the residential wing, which projects considerably from the main elevation and stands on a high terrace. The north-west return wall contains three bays: two towers flanking a central bay with a large four-centred arched window and a smaller round-headed sash above. The main elevation of this wing has four bays which are progressively recessed until they meet the round tower at the south-east. The fenestration comprises round-headed sashes and a four-centred arched doorway leading out onto the terrace. The doorway contains a glass-panelled door with side lights and fanlights resembling the entrance on the opposite side of the castle. A large semi-circular bastion continues the level of the terrace, surrounding the round tower at the south-east.

Interior: Residential Wing

The main entrance on the south-west leads to a hall passage with a vaulted ceiling divided into sections by transverse arches. At the far end is a doorway leading out onto the outer terrace. Immediately to the right of the entrance is the library, which contains original integral curving wooden bookshelves designed by James Wyatt and a stone fireplace. Occupying the ground floor of the round tower is a circular drawing room, also with Wyatt-designed bookshelves and a fireplace with an overmantel mirror.

On the left of the entrance is a study with a fireplace, then the main staircase and dining room. A mezzanine floor containing a bedroom and dressing room has been inserted into the study, probably in the mid to late 20th century. The dining room has a fireplace with an overmantel mirror. The fireplaces on this floor are original designs from about 1799, formed of a four-centred arch with an elongated trefoil pattern in the spandrels. There is wainscoting to the windows (many containing original plate glass), original panelled doors with decorative keyplates and fingerplates, oak floors, dado rails, and cornices decorated with foliage patterns, as well as 19th-century brass chandeliers with flame shades throughout several rooms in this wing.

A stone staircase with a mahogany handrail and iron balusters leads up to the first floor of the residential wing. It is lit by an oval lantern light. The first-floor landing is separated into sections by transverse arches and there are suites of bedrooms on each side with marble fireplaces and cornices, and one 19th-century overmantel mirror. Next to these bedrooms are dressing rooms and bathrooms with 19th-century sanitary ware, including 'the Kaiser's bath'—a canopy bath regularly used by Kaiser Wilhelm as a guest at the castle in the late 19th century.

The first floor of the round tower contains a sitting room with marble fireplaces whilst the second floor, approached via a spiral stair turret, contains the principal bedroom with marble fireplaces and a 19th-century sink with legs. There is an original curved doorway providing access from the stair turret out onto the battlemented roof.

The basement of the residential wing was not inspected but contains several store rooms, a boiler room, and a swimming pool room. An early 19th-century ice house with a domed ceiling is built into the outer terrace and is approached from a passage on the north-east side of the castle.

Interior: Service Wing

The service wing has a long corridor running along the south side leading from the residential wing to the enclosed courtyard. On the north side of the corridor at ground floor level is a butler's pantry, staff room, morning room with a fireplace, and a kitchen. The basement was not inspected but contains a store room, billiard room, wine cellar, and boiler room under this wing.

Interior: Enclosed Courtyard

The service wing leads to the lower ground floor (basement level) of the enclosed courtyard via a stone staircase. The central courtyard was covered in the early or mid-20th century with a steel-trussed roof which carries a galleried walkway. It has a paved stone floor. There are ranges of rooms on each side of the courtyard: store rooms, lavatories, and a kitchen at lower ground floor level; a living room, pantry, bedrooms, and dressing rooms at ground floor level; and bedrooms, dressing rooms, and lavatories at first floor level. These include original doors and a marble fireplace. The original kitchen on the lower ground floor has a 19th-century cast-iron cooking range, an inglenook fireplace, fitted wooden dresser and shelves, a wooden sink, and a possing tub. A water tank is situated beneath the courtyard.

The north-west bastion is approached from the courtyard by tall 19th-century timber-boarded double doors under a four-centred arch. It contains a series of storerooms at ground floor and basement level set against the semi-circular inner wall. A stone stairway leads down to the basement, where there are four cellars with brick barrel vaults, probably for storage of meat, fruit, and vegetables. At the centre of the bastion, opposite the cellars, is a circular cold storage room. It has a brick domed roof with a circular aperture in the crown closed by a removable perforated bronze cover.

The following features are specifically excluded from the listing as not being of special architectural or historic interest: the 20th-century internal partitions to the bedroom and dressing room of the mezzanine floor above the study of the residential wing; the later 20th-century sink and kitchen units; the later 20th-century toilets and sinks; and the later 20th-century electric wall heaters.