The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-06-14


bastions. The entrance from the land.
ward side was by a drawbridge and
strong machicOlated gateway. Within
each castle was we'll. The bastion
walls were 20 feet thick below and II
feet above. Their architect was prob.
ably one Steven Won Haschenperg
The garrison of Walmer consisted OF
a captain, lieutenant, two porters, ter
gunnerS and four soldiers.
Less than a century later we read
of Walmer castle as much decayed and
threatened by the sea at high tides;
moreover, rain drives into the rooms
and powder houses. the gate is decayed
with loose stones hanging over" and
so forth. 1t was presumably patched
up. During the Civil war the castles
changed hands more than once Wal.
mer was besieged by Parliament troops
il 164S. and held out for month be
fore surrendering. 1t was much
spoiled with the granades." but the
repairs were only estimated to cost
$500. The castles continued to be of
| military importance throughout the
seventeenth century,
Additions by Lord Wardens.
The first lord warden to make Wal.
| mer castle his residence was the duke
| of Dorset, appointed in 1TOS and again
| in 1927. About 1870 he made various
| alterations and additions to the old
| structure to provide the necessary ae-
| commodat!on for a household; further
| considerable additions were made by
| Mr.. Pitt, the earl of Liverpool. and
| Earl Granville. Apart. from certain
chambers belonging to the original
military work and since merely adapt.
ed to the uses of domestic service. the
| oldest parts OF the existing mansion
are the chambers built by the duke of
Dorset. Bucks view. dated 1875,
shows the general aspect of this build.
ing. 1t is raised over the central mass
of the castle and follows the outlines
of its walls. There is nothing remark
able about the architecture or the dec.
Grafton of the rooms. small central
hall, long passage leading through IL
with others branching eff as con-
venience dictated-these are the Gle
ments of the plan. The plain stone
wall is pierced by oblOng sash-win.
dows and the crest of the wall Is
battlemented.
The duke of Dorset's additions were
mainly on the sea front. which re-
mains much as he left IT. | believe
the drawing-room was his-a pleasant,
sunny chamber-but Lord Granville
added TO it. Mr.. Pitt built the rooms
over the southern rampant. Finally,
in 1868, Lord Granville added story
containing thirteen rooms over the
gate-house bastion. He also built the
tower. The stone employed came from
the demolition of Sandown castle. He
added 10 the drawing-room, as an al.
cove. the little room in which 1t is as.
serted that Nelson and Pitt used ii
confer.
There is nothing stately or impress
sive about the aspect of the interior
but the irregularity of the plan adds &c
the effect of domestic comfort and pri
vacy which pervades the house. One
can easily understand how successive
illullteS NAVE uetOillc dltutHeu ~ II
Externally there are several quite iIG
pressive points of view, chiefly those
which command the massive and pre-
cipitous walls rising from the moat
One of the walls. pulled down on the
occasion of Queen yictoria's visit Il
make a new dining-roOm. was soor
afterward rebuilt. Talleyrand wheT
in Pitts room.