King John'S Castle

King John's Castle, Tewkesbury

A detached house of medieval and mid-16th-century date, constructed in coursed lias stone with a tile roof. Despite its name, there is no firm evidence that this was ever a castle, and the title appears to be a misnomer.

The building comprises two main elements: a former staircase tower of medieval origin, and a cross-gabled Tudor house abutting it on the west side. Late 20th-century single-storey additions extend the full width of the rear elevation.

The front elevation divides into two parts. To the left stands the broad gabled block in three storeys with an attic. A small square light sits above a three-light casement in the gable, with two further three-light casements set off-centre to the left at first and ground floor levels, paired beneath drip-courses. A 20th-century part-glazed door in a wide wood frame occupies the right side. A string course runs the full width at the base of the gables, which are uncoped. To the right, the tower rises in the same front plane in three slightly recessed stages with string courses separating them. The ground floor contains a lofty two-light casement with transom, the string course slightly lifted over it. At second floor left sits a blocked former doorway with a four-centred head.

A decorative cast-iron rainwater hopper and downpipe runs down the front of the tower. Windows throughout are set flush with stone recessed hollow-mould mullions and transoms beneath drip moulds, and feature diagonal leading. The left return has a small square light to the gable, a 12-pane sash in a flush rough-worked stone surround at first floor left, and a late 20th-century two-light casement at ground floor right set beneath a concrete lintel and cill. A single-storey crenellated addition of 1991 projects to the left.

The rear elevation displays a decorative Tudor brick twin stack on a stone base, positioned externally central to the gable and joined at the cappings. A two-light casement lights the staircase to the left. The right return contains a brick and tile 20th-century gabled extension to the right of the tower, fitted with various two-light casements positioned to correspond with internal stair and landing levels. The tower's top stage has three casements, two now blocked, with two further casements at the middle stage. The ground stage contains a blocked door with four-centred head to the left and a small slit with dressed stone surround to the right. The east gable of the Tudor wing projects beyond the tower and contains one small square light.

Interior: A narrow entrance hall contains a straight-flight stair with winders at the landings, leading to principal rooms on each side. The left room, formerly a kitchen, has a wide fire opening with a heavy unmoulded lintel and surround, and an inserted partition set to a window mullion. The right room occupies the tower, presenting as a plain square space with no internal evidence of the supposed original staircase function.

At first floor, the tower room contains a blocked doorway with four-centred chamfered head on plain jambs, while the door from the staircase is similar but has one jamb marked out to form a chamfer which was never completed. At second floor, to the left of the staircase, a heavy square-panel timber-framed partition contains two door openings, one now filled with a peaked head, positioned beneath one of the A-frame roof trusses. The room to the left features a projecting plain stone fire surround with a very deep overmantel having a moulded cornice and supported on brackets to flat square jambs; to the left sits a deep square candle recess. The tower room has a blocked doorway similar to that on the floor below.

Historical Note: The castle, probably the seat of the Manor of Mythe, belonged to the Abbey and formerly also had a free-standing chapel. The extent of the earlier house is not known; when additions were made to the north side, no remains of any kind were found during excavations. The tower originally had a fourth stage, removed in the early 19th century, when the remaining stages were also stepped back. In the mid-18th century, the castle was replaced as the chief house of the estate by Mythe Court, built just to the south.