While commonly referred to as a castle due to its turrets, it was built as a folly, as can be discerned by its small size and because it has never functioned as a castle. It is situated in Castle Wood, on Shooter's Hill in south-east London in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
It was built to commemorate Commodore Sir William James who, in April 1755, attacked and destroyed the island fortress of Suvarnadurg (then rendered in English: Severndroog) of the Maratha Empire on the western coast of India, between Mumbai and Goa. James died in 1783 and the folly was built as a memorial to him by his widow, Lady James of Eltham.
Designated a Grade II* listed building in 1954,[2][3] the Gothic-style castle is 63 feet (19 m) high and triangular in section, with a hexagonal turret at each corner. From its elevated position, it offers views across London, with features in seven different counties visible on a clear day.
Sir William James captured the Suvarnadurg fort (Golden fort) on western coast of India on 12 April 1755, this victory and later other triumphs led to change his rank to director in the East India company.
Following Lady James' death in 1798, the building passed through the hands of various landowners, including John Blades, a former Sheriff of London, a Mr Barlow (ship owner) who built nearby Castle Wood House, and Thomas Jackson (a railway and docks contractor of Eltham Park).[4] On 18 August 1845, the tower was visited by diarist William Copeland Astbury, who recorded the tower, layout, ownership and condition.[5] In 1922, the tower was purchased by London County Council and it became a local visitor attraction with a ground-floor tearoom serving refreshments. In 1986, when the GLC was abolished, responsibility for Severndroog passed to Greenwich Council.[6]
Restorationedit
In 1988, the local council could no longer afford the building's upkeep and it was boarded up. In 2002, a community group, the Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust, was established. In 2004, it featured in the BBC TV series Restoration (presented by Griff Rhys Jones, Ptolemy Dean and Marianne Suhr) to gain publicity and support to restore the building and open it to the public.[6]
In July 2013 work began on renovating the castle, funded by a £595,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and it was officially reopened to the public on 20 July 2014.[7] The castle is open to public visitors and can be hired, wholly or in part, for private functions.
^ ab"Restoration 2004 - Severndroog Castle (July 2004)". BBC London. BBC. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
^Trotter, Sarah (18 July 2014). "Shooters Hill's 18th Century Severndroog Castle reopens after 25 years of neglect". News Shopper. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
External linksedit
Media related to Severndroog Castle at Wikimedia Commons
severndroog, castle, folly, designed, architect, richard, jupp, with, first, stone, laid, april, 1784, castle, woodwhile, commonly, referred, castle, turrets, built, folly, discerned, small, size, because, never, functioned, castle, situated, castle, wood, sho. Severndroog Castle is a folly designed by architect Richard Jupp with the first stone laid on 2 April 1784 1 Severndroog Castle in Castle WoodWhile commonly referred to as a castle due to its turrets it was built as a folly as can be discerned by its small size and because it has never functioned as a castle It is situated in Castle Wood on Shooter s Hill in south east London in the Royal Borough of Greenwich It was built to commemorate Commodore Sir William James who in April 1755 attacked and destroyed the island fortress of Suvarnadurg then rendered in English Severndroog of the Maratha Empire on the western coast of India between Mumbai and Goa James died in 1783 and the folly was built as a memorial to him by his widow Lady James of Eltham Designated a Grade II listed building in 1954 2 3 the Gothic style castle is 63 feet 19 m high and triangular in section with a hexagonal turret at each corner From its elevated position it offers views across London with features in seven different counties visible on a clear day Contents 1 History 1 1 Restoration 2 References 3 External linksHistory edit nbsp Engraving c 1815Sir William James captured the Suvarnadurg fort Golden fort on western coast of India on 12 April 1755 this victory and later other triumphs led to change his rank to director in the East India company The tower was used by General William Roy in his trigonometric survey linking the nearby Royal Greenwich Observatory with the Paris Observatory a 36 inch 0 91 m theodolite now in London s Science Museum was temporarily installed on its roof This Anglo French Survey 1784 1790 led to the formation of the Ordnance Survey In 1848 the Royal Engineers used the castle for their survey of London 4 Following Lady James death in 1798 the building passed through the hands of various landowners including John Blades a former Sheriff of London a Mr Barlow ship owner who built nearby Castle Wood House and Thomas Jackson a railway and docks contractor of Eltham Park 4 On 18 August 1845 the tower was visited by diarist William Copeland Astbury who recorded the tower layout ownership and condition 5 In 1922 the tower was purchased by London County Council and it became a local visitor attraction with a ground floor tearoom serving refreshments In 1986 when the GLC was abolished responsibility for Severndroog passed to Greenwich Council 6 Restoration edit In 1988 the local council could no longer afford the building s upkeep and it was boarded up In 2002 a community group the Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust was established In 2004 it featured in the BBC TV series Restoration presented by Griff Rhys Jones Ptolemy Dean and Marianne Suhr to gain publicity and support to restore the building and open it to the public 6 In July 2013 work began on renovating the castle funded by a 595 000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant and it was officially reopened to the public on 20 July 2014 7 The castle is open to public visitors and can be hired wholly or in part for private functions The Green Chain Walk and Capital Ring long distance paths go through Eltham Common and Castle Wood and past the castle between Shooter s Hill and Eltham nbsp Viewing platform nbsp View towards the northwest nbsp First floor nbsp Second floorReferences edit Severndroog Castle Sir William James Severndroog Castle Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust Archived from the original on 8 August 2014 Retrieved 21 July 2014 Severndroog Castle castle Wood Park Shooters Hill London britishlistedbuildings co uk Good Stuff Historic England Severndroog Castle Castle Wood Park 1289792 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 27 April 2007 a b The Great Severndroog Castle Timeline Severndroog Castle Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust Retrieved 24 February 2016 William Copeland Astbury www facebook com a b Restoration 2004 Severndroog Castle July 2004 BBC London BBC Retrieved 21 July 2014 Trotter Sarah 18 July 2014 Shooters Hill s 18th Century Severndroog Castle reopens after 25 years of neglect News Shopper Retrieved 21 July 2014 External links edit nbsp Media related to Severndroog Castle at Wikimedia Commons Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust51 28 00 N 0 03 36 E 51 4666 N 0 0599 E 51 4666 0 0599 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Severndroog Castle amp oldid 1183770584, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
