Starborough Castle Walls And Garden House

Starborough Castle walls and Garden House are historical structures located in Lingfield. The castle walls date back to around 1431 or earlier, while the garden house was built in 1754 on older foundations and using some of the original materials. In the late 19th century, the garden house was converted into a billiard room.

The moat walls are made of rough dressed stone and rise just above ground level, enclosing a square mound that measures 50 meters by 50 meters. The inner wall features round angle tower bases. The garden house is situated in the northeast corner of the mound and has dressed ashlar walls with patches of brick and rubblestone, some of which are rendered on the inner face.

Architecturally, the garden house is rectangular and includes diagonal offset angle buttresses, with additional buttresses at the center of the east and west sides, topped with battlemented parapets. The angle spire finials, which have crockets, are missing from the southeast and northeast corners. The structure has one storey above older vaulted cellars and features an angle bay window in the center of the north side, which includes a stone mullioned two-light window below and stone Y tracery in the bay windows. There are two similar windows on each of the east and west sides, all under flat hood mouldings. Remnants of a door can be found on the south side, along with an arched planked door in the basement.

Above the basement door is a stone dressed opening with an inscription that reads: "OBSCURO POSITUS LOCO LENI PERFRUAR OTIO." There are stone panels on either side of this opening, framed in moulded surrounds with crests at the top. The left panel states "RESTITUIT JACOBUS BARROW, 1754," while the right panel reads: "MUNIVIT REGINALDUS DE COBHAM per LICENUIAM REGIS EDWARDI 3 tij DATE: 18 OCTOBRIS ANNO REG.15. DE MANSO KERNELLANDO 1342." Above these panels is a central stone roundel, and a small steep open pediment with a dog tooth band across the base is positioned over a gargoyle head.

The castle was originally built by Reginald Lord Cobham, who also founded the College in Lingfield. It was constructed on the site of and incorporated earlier buildings, but was dismantled in 1648. At the time of the last survey, the site was derelict.