A quadrangular castle or courtyard castle is a type of castle characterised by ranges of buildings which are integral with the curtain walls, enclosing a central ward or quadrangle, and typically with angle towers. There is no keep and frequently no distinct gatehouse. The quadrangular form predominantly dates from the mid to late fourteenth century and signals the transition from defensively to domestically oriented great houses. The four walls are also known as ranges.
Quadrangular castles typically display a sophisticated and complex approach to the planning of internal social spaces.[1][2] There are many quadrangular castles around the UK, for example: Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, and Bolton Castle.
The 27 quadrangular castles identified by John Rickard as being built in England consist roughly 10% of the castles built in the country between 1272 and 1422. No castles of this design were built in Wales.[3]
One of the earliest quadrangular castles in Germany is Neuleiningen, of which substantial ruins remain.
Name Location Coordinates Constructed Built for Designed by Heritage status Image
Beverston Castle Cotswold
51°38′39″N 2°12′05″W / 51.6442°N 2.20139°W 1225
Maurice de GauntThomas de Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley anonymous Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Bodiam Castle East Sussex 51°00′08″N 0°32′37″E / 51.00226°N 0.54353°E 1385 Edward Dalyngrigge anonymous Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Bolton Castle Richmondshire 54°19′20″N 1°57′00″W / 54.3221°N 1.94991°W 1379 Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton John Lewyn Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Caverswall Castle
Staffordshire Moorlands 52°58′57″N 2°04′29″W / 52.9826°N 2.0746°W 1275 William de Caverswall anonymous Grade I listed building
Cawood Castle Selby
53°49′53″N 1°07′40″W / 53.8313°N 1.1278°W 1378
John Kemp anonymous Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Chideock Castle
Dorset 50°44′03″N 2°49′06″W / 50.7343°N 2.81825°W 1370s Sir John Chideock anonymous
scheduled monument Chillingham Castle Northumberland 55°31′34″N 1°54′18″W / 55.526°N 1.905°W 1344 Sir Thomas Heton anonymous Grade I listed building
Cooling Castle Medway 51°27′20″N 0°31′22″E / 51.4555°N 0.522732°E 1380s
John de Cobham, 3rd Baron Cobham Henry Yevele Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Danby Castle
North Yorkshire 54°27′20″N 0°53′43″W / 54.4555°N 0.895197°W 1302 William Latimer, 1st Lord Latimer anonymous Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Farleigh Hungerford Castle Mendip
51°19′03″N 2°17′13″W / 51.3174°N 2.2869°W 1383 Thomas Hungerford anonymous Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Ford Castle Northumberland 55°37′53″N 2°05′25″W / 55.6314°N 2.09025°W 1338 Sir William Heron anonymous Grade I listed building
Fyvie Castle Aberdeenshire 57°26′36″N 2°23′42″W / 57.4433°N 2.3949°W 1300s anonymous anonymous category A listed building
Greys Court South Oxfordshire 51°32′42″N 0°57′22″W / 51.545°N 0.956164°W 1348 John de Grey, 2nd Baron Grey de Rotherfield
Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount KnollysBaron Lovel anonymous Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Greystoke Castle Eden
Cumbria 54°40′12″N 2°52′37″W / 54.66998°N 2.87705°W 1353 William de Greystoke, 2nd Baron Greystoke anonymous Grade II* listed building
Hartley Castle Cumbria 54°28′09″N 2°20′12″W / 54.4691°N 2.33655°W 1353 Thomas de Musgrave
Sir Richard Musgrave, 1st Baronet anonymous
scheduled monumentGrade II listed building
Hemyock Castle
Mid Devon 50°54′45″N 3°13′54″W / 50.9125°N 3.23156°W 1380 Margaret and William Asthorpe anonymous
scheduled monumentGrade II* listed building
Hever Castle Hever 51°11′13″N 0°06′50″E / 51.186944°N 0.113889°E 1271 William de Hever anonymous Grade I listed building
Inverlochy Castle Highland 56°49′57″N 5°04′52″W / 56.8326°N 5.081°W 1270s
Clan Cumming anonymous category B listed building
Lumley Castle County Durham 54°51′17″N 1°33′11″W / 54.8547°N 1.55293°W 1389 Ralph de Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley John Lewyn
John Vanbrugh Grade I listed building
Maxstoke Castle Warwickshire 52°29′58″N 1°40′18″W / 52.4994°N 1.67167°W 1345
William de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon anonymous Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Moor End Castle Northamptonshire 52°05′42″N 0°54′01″W / 52.0949°N 0.900155°W 1347 Edward III of England
Thomas de Ferrers anonymous
scheduled monument Raby Castle County Durham 54°35′27″N 1°48′06″W / 54.59092°N 1.80175°W 1378 House of Neville John Lewyn Grade I listed building
Ravensworth Castle
Tyne and Wear 54°55′34″N 1°38′18″W / 54.9262°N 1.6384°W 1350s
Marmaduke Lumley anonymous Grade II* listed building
scheduled monument Sheriff Hutton Castle North YorkshireRyedale 54°05′17″N 1°00′19″W / 54.0881°N 1.00519°W 1382
John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby John Lewyn Grade II* listed building
scheduled monument Shirburn Castle South Oxfordshire 51°39′27″N 0°59′38″W / 51.6576°N 0.9938°W 1377 Warin de Lisle
Henry Yevele Grade I listed building
Somerton Castle North Kesteven 53°07′03″N 0°34′34″W / 53.1174°N 0.57616°W 1281 Antony Bek anonymous Grade I listed building
scheduled monument Starborough Castle
Surrey 51°10′42″N 0°02′19″E / 51.1783°N 0.0386396°E 1341
Reginald de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham anonymous
scheduled monumentGrade II* listed building
Sudeley Castle Gloucestershire 51°33′54″N 1°34′20″W / 51.5650°N 1.5722°W 1443 Ralph Boteler, 1st Baron Sudeley anonymous
Grade I listed building Westenhanger Castle
KentShepway
51°05′40″N 1°01′53″E / 51.0944°N 1.03144°E 1343 John de Criol
Edward Poynings anonymous
scheduled monumentGrade I listed building
Wingfield Castle Mid Suffolk 52°20′52″N 1°15′41″E / 52.3479°N 1.2614°E 1384
Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk anonymous Grade I listed building
Woodcroft Castle
Cambridgeshire 52°37′35″N 0°19′02″W / 52.6263°N 0.3172°W 1280 anonymous anonymous Grade II* listed building
Woodsford Castle
Dorset 50°42′45″N 2°20′38″W / 50.7126°N 2.34389°W 1336 William de Whitefield
Guy de Bryan, 1st Baron Bryan anonymous Grade I listed building
Wressle Castle East Riding of Yorkshire 53°46′32″N 0°55′45″W / 53.7755°N 0.929291°W 1390s
Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of WorcesterHenry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland John Lewyn Grade I listed building
scheduled monument