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Compton Castle
Compton Castle
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Compton Castle
Compton Castle
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Compton Castle
Compton Castle
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Compton Castle
Sir Humphrey Gilbert
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Compton Castle
Compton Castle
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Compton Castle
Compton Castle
Compton Castle
Continuing our series of articles on local National Trust properties, we focus our attention this month on Compton Castle which lies tucked away 5 miles west of Torquay 1.5 miles north of the village of Marldon.
Compton Castle is a rare gem: a medieval fortified castle with many original features. As well as its fortifications it still boasts the old kitchen largely unchanged since the 14th century as well as a solar( a living room), subsolar ,chapel, guard rooms and Great Hall which was roofless before it was reconstructed in the 1950’s. The pretty gardens feature a rose and knot garden.
This property makes an immediate impact on first approach, with its imposing presence, standing tall, built of local limestone a metre thick with its red sandstone and Beer stone dressings complete with portcullis, lofty curtain wall and machiolations - holes through which missiles could be dropped on the enemy.
These were an absolute necessity as in more turbulent times there was a real possibility that French skirmishing parties might have reached Compton... After all, French raiding parties did make forays into Plymouth and Fowey and the castle is sited only three miles from the coast at Torbay making it an inviting prospect for the Spanish at the time of the Spanish Armada.
The castle began life as a manor house in the 1340s and has been added to over the centuries. It is still home to the Gilbert family who have lived here for all but one and a half of its many centuries. During that period, in 1904 Commander Walter Raleigh Gilbert, visited the castle while training at Dartmouth Naval College and resolved to buy it back for the family one day. He had to wait 27 years to achieve his goal: he reclaimed ownership in 1931 when the castle was in a derelict state.
He then set about painstaking restoration using the most authentic materials - an extremely costly undertaking. In 1951 the family decided to give their historic home to the National Trust. The family have a great connection to the local area and the River Dart. The Gilbert men were great pioneering explorers who made epic voyages in the 15th and 16th centuries particularly to the New World.
Compton Castle is a fantastic place to find out about the history of New World exploration through the lives of its family members. In deed it was Sir Humphrey Gilbert (1539-83) who inspired his half brother, Sir Walter Raleigh, to found the first American colony of Roanoke in North Carolina. Sir Humphrey was the founder of colonialism being the first to lay claim to the land of Newfoundland for Elizabeth I.
Sir Humphrey lived by the motto, Quid non, (Why not?). He displayed the characteristics of a true adventurer, being “proud, ambitious, short tempered and fearless.” These traits he shared with his four brothers and half brothers and they must have presented an irresistible force in the Elizabethan court. This seems to have been the case with Elizabeth I who was persuaded, possibly against her cautious better nature, to renew Sir Humphrey’s licence to explore and colonise America.
Sir Humphrey assembled a fleet of seven ships at Dartmouth: these included the Anne Ager( named after Sir Humphrey’s wife), the Squirrel( one of the smallest of the fleet), the Hope of Greenway and the Falcon with Sir Walter Raleigh in command. Unfortunately this expedition was unsuccessful with terrible storms and mutiny being chiefly to blame.
At last, however in 1583 Sir Humphrey reached Newfoundland claiming it historically as the first colony for England; thus began the British Empire. This great explorer died prematurely off the Azores in a storm with the last words he uttered being, “we are as near to heaven by sea as by land.”
The taste for travel and adventure especially on the high seas continued down the Gilbert line for subsequent generations and Compton Castle is a fascinating place to discover their story and its connection with exploration.
Compton Castle is well worth a visit and is the perfect size for a morning or afternoon’s exploration. There is something about exploring a castle which appeals to everyone - young and old. A visit this summer should feature on everyones “to do” list.
The Castle is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays form 11.00 am to 17.00 pm.
First published August 2008 By the Dart
