Leybourne Castle

Leybourne Castle is a Grade II* listed castle gateway ruin, outbuilding, and house, dating from the early 14th century and built again in 1925-26. The house, designed by Walter Godfrey, is in a free Cotswold vernacular style and is connected to the ruins.

The gateway features random rubble stone construction with two broad semicircular bastions. Between them is a triple-chamfered depressed arch that shows the beginnings of an opening area. There are loop-holes on the ground floor and wider square windows above. A portcullis groove and the beginnings of a rib-vault oriel can be seen cut into the archway. Inside, there is evidence of upper floors and a vaulted cupboard in addition to the west bastion. A low wall, likely reconstructed, connects at a right angle to the west and south, leading to a two-storey random rubble gabled outbuilding, which is probably also from the 14th century. This outbuilding features an arched doorway in the north gable end and a two-light window arch.

The house is attached to the east bastion and extends to the southeast front. It is built of random rubble with a stone-tiled roof and has a hipped gable on the left with a shallow projection. There are tall stacks on both the left and right sides of the ridge. The house has two storeys and three irregular bays, with shallow, parapeted, canted bays at each end. A large ten-light window is located on the ground floor, off-centre to the right, with a five-light window above it. To the left, there is a large projecting gabled chimney breast with a doorway. The south side has a hipped roof to the right, a central valley, and a gabled end to the left with a tall projecting stack. It has two storeys and two windows to the right, along with a twelve-light window below. The north front also has two storeys with irregular fenestration, featuring five windows on the first floor and one on the ground floor, which includes a round-arched doorway to the left with a stone surround and brick arch. Inside, the ground floor rooms are panelled. The site is scheduled as an Ancient Monument.