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Home , Duke of Beaufort, Raglan Castle, Troy House

Rick Turner The Restoration of the Grand Staircase, Raglan ,

Introduction We will explore how the The Grand Staircase In 2011, Cadw, the Welsh original staircase was designed and Fountain Court lies beyond Government’s historic how it functioned. We will then the great hall at . The environment service, was able to look at a succession of attempts building of the Great Gatehouse by re-open the grand staircase at to remove, then re-instate the Sir William Herbert (c.1423-1469) Raglan Castle. This staircase staircase over the past 300 years. changed the direction of approach formed part of Fountain Court, This more recent history has led to and entry into Raglan Castle built to house a suite of the nickname of the ‘Hokey-Cokey’ (fig. 1). It is generally believed that apartments for the guests of staircase. It reflects the changing his father, Sir William Herbert, earl of Pembroke, attitudes to the restoration of parts (died 1445), had built the Great in the 1460s. Herbert was one of of ruinous buildings such as Raglan Tower and the South Gate, which the most important supporters of Castle. Cadw’s recent work has re- is orientated on the centre of the the Yorkist king, Edward IV, who instated all of the lower ten treads town of Raglan (Kenyon 2003, showered him with wealth and of the staircase and then created a 4-8). This implies that in Thomas’ power. He expressed this newfound narrower flight of stone steps up time the main entrance into the importance in his redevelopment to the doorway into the tower (fig. castle was through the South Gate, of Raglan Castle in Monmouthshire 7). It is hoped that this work will with what became Fountain Court (fig. 1), in the most elaborate and provide an end to this particular being the front court containing contemporary style, before losing hokey-cokey. the principal entrance into the his head after the defeat at the great hall. The exact date of Battle of Edgecote in 1469 (Kenyon construction of Fountain Court 2003, 9-11; Griffiths 2013). is not known but Sir William Herbert’s rise to prominence only

Fig.1 A ground plan of Raglan Castle showing 1 The History Magazine the various stages of construction The Restoration of the Grand Staircase, Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire

really began with Edward IV’s Court and access to a private staircase, probably copying one accession in 1461 (Griffiths 2013). latrine. This reconstruction of the added to the apartments in the The work is in large, ashlar blocks court in the 1460s gives an idea Upper Ward of of Old Red Sandstone, with a of the richness of these rooms in the 1440s. Guests would leave myriad of different masons’ marks (fig.3). The grand staircase lies at the doors of their first-floor (Emery 1975), suggesting a large, the centre of two main ranges of apartments on either side of skilled workforce working at great apartments (figs. 2 and 3). It was the top of the stairs to descend speed. Brick is used to form vaults built where a tower sits in an angle in pairs, being followed by under the grand staircase and in of the curtain wall. This presented a guests leaving the ground-floor the fireplaces. Raglan Castle in the challenge to the master mason who apartments. The moulded stone 1460s seems to be the site where designed the staircase, as he had to handrail is set quite high, at 1.2 m brick was first used as a building resolve the multiple planes formed above the treads. This has the material in . by the junction of the curtain wall effect of raising the users’ hands Following Herbert’s redesign of and the two rectangular ranges of to about the level of their chests, the castle, Fountain Court became apartments, as well as maintaining increasing the sense of a stately the innermost courtyard of the an even flight of stairs out of each progress. They would walk through castle (fig. 2). This increased its doorway, and down to the main the ornate main entrance doorway privacy, which implies that only the entrance. This challenge was to with an inscription painted onto the carved ribbon banner over the arch (fig. 3), before walking across Fountain Court and entering into the great hall for the meals, through an archway of equal magnificence. When they had finished eating, they would return in procession back to their well- appointed rooms. The formality of dining at Raglan Castle continued well into the seventeenth century. A set of household regulations survives from that period. Everyone’s place at table was very carefully identified, and they even raised the to ensure that the main meal of the day could be eaten in safety. Fig.2 The interior of Fountain Court with the grand staircase at its centre. Removal and Restoration of the Grand Staircase most distinguished guests would present itself to later restorers of One of the last great sieges of have been housed here. Amongst the staircase, and the geometry of the second was these was the young Henry Tudor the original layout will be explored carried out at Raglan Castle in the (the future Henry VII), whom in more detail below. summer of 1646. Parliamentary Herbert had taken into custody What was created was a very forces bombarded the castle after his capture of Pembroke early example of a processional causing widespread damage, until Castle in 1461. Henry presented a potential rival for Edward IV’s throne, so he was held at Raglan for a number of years, with Herbert hoping that he might be persuaded to marry his daughter. The court gets its name from ‘a pleasant marble fountain in the midst thereof, called the White Horse, continually running with clear water’, whose square masonry base survives. Within the polygonal curtain wall on the west side of the court, Sir William Herbert built nine high-quality apartments, at ground and first floors. Each had a fireplace, ornate Fig.3 windows overlooking Fountain A reconstruction of the interior of Fountain Court in the 1460s 2 The History Magazine The Restoration of the Grand Staircase, Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire

the earl of Worcester surrendered on 19 August. The castle was forfeited to Parliament and the great tower was deliberately slighted to render it unusable in any future Royalist rebellion. Upon the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, Henry Somerset, the earl of Worcester, (created in 1682), decided to abandon Raglan Castle as a home and used and Castle House, as the family residences in the county, whilst Badminton House in was being built. In 1676, Edward Clytha, who remembered it as a boy in the , wrote a remarkable manuscript description of Raglan Fig.4 Castle (Gloucestershire Record Office: Badminton Papers 404.2.1- The ‘Wyatt’ staircase in about 1860 4). It includes the only description out remains of the medieval but the posts began to rot, making of Fountain Court before the siege. stairs. This perfectly serviceable it unstable. It was soon taken So why has the grand staircase staircase remained in use until away and the grand staircase was come to be called the Hokey-Cokey the Ministry of Works took over blocked off again. Staircase? This is because over responsibility for the site from the the last 300 years, the staircase Duke of Beaufort in 1938. Photos has been taken out and been put show it still in place in the early Cadw’s restoration of the back in on three occasions. In 1950s, when it was removed on grand staircase the early eighteenth century, the the grounds, no doubt, that it was Cadw inherited the second duke of Beaufort employed ‘an inappropriate restoration’. No responsibility for conserving and an estate surveyor, a man called records have been found in Cadw’s presenting Raglan Castle for public Hopkins, who earned the nickname archive recording who made this enjoyment in 1984. It first began of the ‘Grand Dilapidator’. He was decision and why. It seemed rather to consider a permanent solution responsible for the removal of arbitrary, as elsewhere a large part to the staircase problem in 2001. chimney-pieces, doors, windows of the breach at the base of the Reconstructing the original form and a total of 23 staircases from great tower was restored to ensure of the medieval staircase proved the castle for resale elsewhere its structural stability. a real challenge. It is contained (Kenyon 2003, 23). This must have However, the removal of led to the loss of the great doors the ‘Wyatt’ staircase left and hinges from the entrance to behind only the damaged the grand staircase, and most of remains of the brick treads the ashlar from the treads and over the rotten stumps of their stone handrails. The fifth the medieval steps (fig. 5). duke of Beaufort (d. 1803) put a Visitors were now stop to these depredations, and it denied the views from was his son who had the staircase the top of the tower. The rebuilt, by his agent in south solution that was put Wales, Arthur Wyatt, for use in forward in the 1980s his ‘Grand Entertainment’ in the was to build a wooden, 1820s (fig. 4). gantry staircase, similar This new staircase was a to those used to enter straight flight, ignoring the an ocean liner, standing original pattern of the treads, and on posts resting on the the perpendicular flights to the remains below. This meant apartment doorways, rising to that there was no impact a small doorway into the tower, on the historic fabric, from the top of which you got but the result poked out commanding views over the castle rather incongruously and its grounds. It was made by from the main entrance. applying thin ashlar slabs over This avoided any criticism Fig.5 brick treads, set in a distinctive that the staircase was an A view up the staircase after the black mortar, built over the robbed inappropriate restoration, ‘Wyatt’ work had been removed

3 The History Magazine The Restoration of the Grand Staircase, Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire

the centreline of the lower flight, which was perpendicular to the main entrance, the staircase would have become significantly asymmetrical. To erect these upper treads, a scaffolding gantry had to be built to lift and move the stones into place. The access onto this gantry allowed the plan of the whole of the grand staircase to be viewed from above for the first time. In drawing a plan of the staircase, with the help of this vantage point, Bevis Sale and the author at last realised how it had been laid out in the first place. Fig. 6 By drawing axes perpendicular to the centre points of all six Two of Cadw’s masons laying one of the lower treads of the new staircase doorways onto the staircase, the framework of the staircase within walls on ten different compromising some of the emerged. Setting out treads rising planes. It involved two main flights evidence for its initial construction 8 in (200 mm) high and 16 in on slightly different alignments and its potential re-modelling. (400 mm) wide gave the pattern to and four subsidiary flights. There The present author took up the staircase, with the interception were the partial remains of two this challenge in 2009, working of the different flights being main periods of construction, one with Bevis Sale, archaeological accommodated by turning the from the 1460s and one from the draughtsman. A small excavation steps at the points where different 1820s. It was Richard Avent, chief was undertaken immediately flights intercepted. To make inspector of ancient monuments within Fountain Court to establish this work, the line of the main and historic buildings, working what evidence remained of the flight would have to be rotated with Tim Morgan, archaeological lowest step. This and more detailed at the point of the intersection draughtsman, who made the first drawing of the lowest part of the between the axis perpendicular attempt to reconstruct the form staircase allowed for the paper to the main entrance, and the of the original staircase. This reconstruction of the first four axis perpendicular to the tower involved looking at the surviving treads, including for the swing of doorway. This occurred at the evidence in detail, by drawing the double doorways. Working with point where there is evidence plans, and more importantly the Cadw’s masons, Alan Cornish and for an inner arch over the upper elevations, along the two main Rob Fear, these four treads were flight of stairs, at the top of tread walls. This established the pitch first mocked up in timber, to allow 6. Here the line of the staircase and size of the treads of the main for the stone to be measured and had to be rotated by 5 degrees. At flight of steps. It also showed ordered. In the laying of each tread that point only the centre of the how the subsidiary flights could (fig. 6), small details of the original tread is exactly the pattern of the be joined into the main flight layout began to be revealed. Given rest of the main flight, with some and yet retain an even pattern that the two main side walls were distortion to either side. of treads. However two main not parallel, then each tread joined By carefully considering and issues were unresolved. The first the side walls slightly differently. retaining all the surviving evidence was whether the main entrance It became clear that the lower part of the medieval staircase, it was felt had contained its pair of doors of the staircase was laid out on an that the first ten treads could be originally, or whether these were axis perpendicular to the centre reinstated to their full width, to the an alteration. To accommodate the of the main entrance arch, and point that the masonry handrails swinging of the doors there had the side staircases were on axes had been robbed out. To try to to be a half-landing at the second perpendicular to the centre of their raise the full staircase any higher tread, or massive cut-outs into doorways. would have required a more radical the treads of a continuous flight The restoration of the lower restoration than was considered of steps. Also there was evidence flight had been the result of acceptable. The decision was made of notches cut into treads 7 and considering the evidence on the to narrow the remainder of the 9, implying that the staircase may site, which defined the sizes of the staircase to provide a straight have been remodelled, perhaps to treads and risers. All staircases, flight up to the tower doorway accommodate the introduction especially those where you are (fig. 7), and then upgrade the of the doors. Avent and Morgan walking with your head held high original staircase to allow for safe did not feel completely confident in procession, need to have an access to the top of the ruinous in accurately restoring part of even pattern otherwise you will tower, which looks across the the original staircase, without stumble. However by projecting garden terraces, great lake and deer

4 The History Magazine The Restoration of the Grand Staircase, Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire

out remains and get into the tower doorway and so up to the top. Graffiti suggest that this may have been allowed into the 1970s, after which it must have been decided to be unsafe. The initial reconstruction of the staircase was undertaken in wood and metal. This design solved the problem of not modifying any of the historic fabric, but did nothing to express the former dignity and function of the original. Given the choice of materials this solution was only ever going to be short term. The partial restoration of the original staircase in stone was begun as both English Heritage Fig.7 and Cadw were developing their Conservation Principles (English The Grand Staircase as restored in 2011 Heritage 2008; Cadw 2011). Up park added to the north side of the impressive dignity to this part to this point, the conservation castle in the 16th century. of the site and allows visitors philosophy of the state heritage to see how it worked. They can bodies was to ‘ as found’. Conclusion explore the tower beyond and However, the intention of these The quality of the enjoy the magnificent views over Conservation Principles was to workmanship and of the stone the relict gardens and parklands broaden the values against which used has made the final result that it offers. Earlier removers conservation judgements, such look so simple and permanent. and restorers of the staircase had as those required to restore the This hides the very considerable other motives for their actions. The Grand Staircase, were made. In effort made over a number of Grand Dilapidator was following working towards the solution years to get the final design as the orders of the second duke in that was finally adopted, more correct a partial restoration of maximising income from stripping than the evidential value or the the original grand staircase as out saleable parts of the castle. The historic fabric was taken into possible. The details were largely sixth duke was looking for a rapid account. Considerable efforts were worked out by looking at and and serviceable restoration of the made to understand the historic recording the empirical evidence access to the top of the tower, as values of the staircase and its of the staircase and ensuring that part of the entertainment of his pioneering function, and to restore almost none of this evidence was guests in the 1820s. the aesthetic value of this part of removed in the restoration. Parts It is more difficult to the site. Most successful has been of the black-mortar bound, brick understand the motive for the the increase in the communal bases of the ‘Wyatt’ staircase were removal of the ashlar elements value from the enjoyment that it taken away to accommodate some of the ‘Wyatt’ staircase by the has brought to the visitors who of the treads. Only well into the Ministry of Works. The Ministry’s now can process up and down the project did it become clear how philosophy developed by its senior staircase and take the views from the original mason had laid out his professional officers, Sir Charles the top of the tower. Conservation staircase. With hindsight, modern Peers and Sir Frank Baines, is philosophy changes with time laser-scanning surveying methods often summarised as ‘keep as and different needs. Additions would have produced more found’ (Keay 2004). However not to great ruinous sites need to be accurate plans, and potentially a all periods of construction were thought through with great care three-dimensional model of the treated equally. What were seen and undertaken with the same ruins of the grand staircase and as inappropriate restorations or level of craftsmanship as the its surrounding walls. This would additions, particularly from the medieval workers achieved, to give have speeded the reconstruction nineteenth century, were removed them a degree of authenticity, yet of its original form. However it to leave the monument in its pure should never try to fool those who would not have removed the need medieval state. visit that they are original to the for the skill of the masons to Whether it was the Ministry’s building. make minor adjustments on site intention to replace the staircase to accommodate the very small is not recorded. Very few records Bibliography details of what survived. from the 1950s survive, as works Cadw, Conservation Principles for the It is hoped that the new seem to have been the subject of protection of the historic environment grand staircase is a long-term verbal instructions to the direct in Wales, Cardiff, 2011 if not permanent addition to labour force. For a time visitors Raglan Castle. It has returned an were left to scramble up the robbed Emery. A., ‘The Development of

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Raglan Castle and in Late Medieval England’, Archaeological Journal 132, pp.151-86, 1975 English Heritage, Conservation Principles, London, 2008 Griffiths R. A. ‘Herbert, William, first earl of Pembroke (c.1423- 1469)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edn (http:/wwwoxforddnb.com/view/ article/13053) accessed 11 June 2013 Keay A. ‘The presentation of guardianship sites’, Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society, 48, 7-20, 2004 Kenyon, J. R. 2003 Raglan Castle, Cadw guidebook (rev. ed.), Cardiff

All images: © Crown copyright, Cadw

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