![]() The mullioned and transomed window frames, for example, are fine examples of 14th century mason’s skills and though the massively thick walls would have made the castle eminently defensible, they also contained an elaborate network of internal walkways, stairs and flues. Others were primarily about comfort, aesthetics or status. Some of its features – the portcullis over the main entrance, the narrow arrow slit windows, the remains of metal grilles over the larger windows – indicate a concern for defence. Harewood Castle was designed to strike a balance between security and comfort: a “mixture of convenience and magnificence”, more accurately described as a fortified Tower House than a castle. Substantial earthworks around the ruins of the castle (still only partially explored) indicate there were earlier buildings on the site, but de Aldeburgh made a decision to demolish and replace whatever was there with something brand new – fore-shadowing Gawthorpe Hall and Harewood House some 400 years later. A considerable body of new information, both architectural and archaeological, was gathered which has prompted a number of new interpretations, as well as challenging some of the existing theories.Ī ‘license to crenellate’ (to fortify) was granted to Sir William de Aldeburgh in 1366, shortly after he became lord of the manor of Harewood. A major programme of repair and consolidation of the surviving structure took place during 20, with financial support from English Heritage and the Harewood Estate. ![]() The oldest building at Harewood is Harewood Castle.
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