Like something out of a fairy-tale, Norris Castle stands proud. Situated at the northernmost tip of the island at East Cowes, its elevated position provides impressive views out towards the Solent, as well as commanding a dramatic presence, especially from the sea. Now this might be my age showing but I'd never heard of this castle until just last week! I'd of course heard and seen the famed Osbourne House but never even had an inkling this existed nearby. I thought it would be amazing to share the history of this forgotten monument, I've even been lucky enough to have been supplied some very recent images from an anonymous source which will be included. These are quite special as the castle has been closed to public viewing for several years now.
History
Thought to have been constructed in 1799, Norris Castle is a 225-acre estate hosting a castle and farm with over a mile of coastal front close to the Osborne Estate. The buildings were designed by the famous architect James Wyatt with the landscape thought to be designed by Humphrey Repton. During the reign of King Edward I, land in the Whippingham Parish was owned by Richard le Noreys, the spelling of which changed over the centuries to Norreys, Norres and finally Norris; this is where the name originates. In 1795, Lord Henry Seymour, a retired politician, purchased what was then a small farm. It's said to have cost £190,000 to build, it was among the earliest marine villas on the island, taking advantage of a location which offered spectacular views across the Solent and Spithead.
Architecture
The main castle has 15 bedrooms, a grand hall, a circular drawing room and large cellars. The estate includes a two-bedroom Lodge Cottage, four-bedroom Farmhouse, three-bedroom Farmhouse Cottage and a two-bedroom Landing House. Farmyard buildings are further inland, which have a similar design to the castle itself. There are also traditional farm buildings and stables, a walled garden, a modern two-bedroom farm building along with parkland and woodland. Near the north end is a substantial pond with a watering slope for livestock. There are further stone-lined watering ponds and ornamental ponds across the estate; there were nine ponds of which at least seven survive today. At the west boundary wall, where it meets the East Cowes Esplanade, is a tall square stone tower; the ‘Bathing House.' It included, amongst several rooms, a plunging bath and sea water pump, with stairs leading to the water’s edge and a landing stage. The building is now roofless but the walls survive almost to full height.
The largest glasshouse is a vinery attached to the south-east wall of the farm. The other two glasshouses are a pair of heated pit houses situated in front of the vinery. These served as the pineapple and melon pits, each with sloping beds and a boiler. On the north side of the garden are back sheds, including a tool room, potting shed and furnace/boiler room. In 1896, the kitchen garden is recorded as containing greenhouses, a vinery house, cucumber house, two furnace houses, two manure pumps and extensive tanks, as well as a pump and hoses for watering. The corner towers had been used to store fruit; fruit trees covered the garden walls and included peach, apricot, pear and apple varieties.
Uses
The farm housed livestock such as cattle and sheep. The manure produced from these animals were used to fertilise the attached kitchen garden and heat the hot beds. The surrounding parkland served as a pasture and allowed peacocks to roam free. The estate had both an agricultural function and picturesque setting, combining beauty with practicality so that the agricultural aspects were designed to also be pleasing to the eye.
Norris Castle also played host to numerous royal visits. Princess, later Queen, Victoria stayed at the Castle with her mother, the Duchess of Kent, in 1831 and again in 1833. Queen Victoria was even considering its purchase in 1839 and 1843 but instead bought the neighboring property of Osborne House. The German Kaiser Wilhelm II (Queen Victoria’s grandson) and his wife Augusta Victoria were also frequent visitors. In fact they visited so much that Wilhelm had his own shower bath installed, which still remains today (See below image). The traumatic birth of Wilhelm II resulted in Erb's palsy, which left him with a withered left arm about six inches (15 centimeters) shorter than his right. The shower was designed to accommodate this so that it could be operated with one arm.
Norris Castle was also used extensively in the filming of Doctor Who and the Sea Devils in October 1971. In those episodes, The Doctor was played by Jon Pertwee, with Katy Manning playing his companion Jo.
The Future
After being passed to Lord George Seymour, it was then bought by a newspaper tycoon, Robert Bell, in 1839. It was purchased again in 1880 by the ninth Duke of Bedford. After the Bedfords, the estate passed to Lord Ampthill; later owned by Major Arthur Birkbeck in 1924. It changed hands again in 1951 when it was bought by Mrs C A Briscoe George, later passing to her daughter, Mrs Lacon, and then to the trustees of her will. In 2016 it was sold into private ownership.
A property developer bought the castle at auction in February 2016 for £4.5 million and announced plans for a 5* hotel/resort which should attract local and international investment helping to ensure the long-term viability of the site. No significant changes will be made to the castle itself, except installing a staircase inside. Instead, rooms will be built in a ‘box within a box’, retaining the original infrastructure of the castle. A stand-alone, removable extension will be added to the first floor of the castle, with a glass lift leading to a glass mezzanine restaurant.
The eroded seawall will be restored and a ten-berth jetty will be home to watersports facilities and a private launch to and from the mainland which could be installed on the private beach. Outbuildings will be transformed into 18 residential homes plus a walled garden spa and café. The proposed development also includes a retirement village.
I've really enjoyed researching this once beautiful castle and hope that my post can bring some awareness about some of history behind it. Whilst it is a shame that the land and castle may be converted into a resort, the developers have made assurances they will keep all the original structures and materials as stated above. This may help generate some much needed tourism and income for the island. Thank you for taking the time to read my article!
Megan x
Sources:
Anonymous source used for images (permission was obtained to use them)
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