Kirby Knowle Castle

The first castle on the site is believed to have been built in the late 12th century, by Roger Lascelles. The castle burned down in 1568. Its owner, John Constable, rebuilt it in the contemporary style, but he died before it was completed, and it fell into ruin. A survey of the site mentioned that Constable had founded a "mansion house of a great hight and length, passing beautiful of itself and fair of prospect, whereto belongs one goodly hall, great chamber, parlour, and bed chamber, with a number of other pleasant lodgings and chambers", including a study, a gallery, a chapel, with kitchen, bakehouse, and brew house. ]] John Constable's wife Katherine, a daughter of Henry Neville, 5th…

The country house is built of stone with Welsh slate roofs. The main block has three storeys and four bays, to the right is a two-storey canted bay, then two bays extending to the north and a further block. In the angle is a five-stage tower, and to the left is a further two-storey three-bay range. The main block has a chamfered plinth, mullioned and transomed windows with hood moulds, a panelled parapet with semicircular battlements and obelisk corner finials. Elsewhere, there are cross windows, and the canted bay has an openwork parapet and a conical roof.