Castle House

The Civic Affairs Office is responsible for the Judges’ Lodgings, known as Castle House, situated in Castle Street Leicester. This beautiful and ancient property is used to accommodate Circuit Judges when they sit at the Crown Court in Leicester. The Chairman of the County Council also hosts a range of dinners at Castle House in honour of other civic heads and county dignitaries, and it is used on occasion to accommodate special guests and visitors to Leicestershire.

Download map of how to get to Castle House (PDF Format)

On a day-to-day basis the House is supervised by Tina Harris with support from Barbara Roper  - pictured below

Pictured from Left to Right

Medieval period Photograph of Gable End
Georgian period Photograph of Georgian Frontage
The Georgian Hallway Photograph of the Hallway

The substantial property now known as Castle House consists of three originally separate buildings, two Medieval and one Georgian.   The history of these houses when individual residences has not been found to be documented in any detail, this is despite the examination of documents at the Leicestershire Record Office, the Offices of the Duchy of Lancaster, and the National Archives at Kew.   The earliest plans of the interior of the houses, found to date, are from 1906.  There has been considerable supposition and conjecture about many of their architectural features.   

Clearly over time many additions and alterations have been made. Leicester Castle and the associated land and buildings, including those now Castle House, were originally part of the Duchy of Lancaster.   The Sovereign, whether King or Queen, is also the Duke of Lancaster, and therefore the property did belong to the Crown.

A link between the Duchy and Leicestershire remains with land in Desford, traditionally called the Reeve Piece or Meadow, still owned by the Duchy.   The land came to the Duchy in 1265, and is the earliest part of the "ancient inheritance" remaining with the Duchy.   The Sovereign is Patron of St Martins, Desford Parish Church.

Since 1889 the property or more correctly properties have been in the ownership of Leicestershire County Council, and Castle House is now maintained not as a museum, but a practical residence. It is used as lodgings for Her Majesty's High Court Judges when sitting in Leicester, for events hosted by the Chairman of the County Council, and accommodating official guests.  The house lies within a quiet enclave near to Leicester city centre, and together with the Castle Hall (which was formerly used as courts), the Church of St Mary de Castro, the Castle Mound, and the Turret Gateway, forms part of a group of buildings associated with the ancient Leicester Castle.   These features which are referred to later, are within a larger area of buildings and other features now known as Castle Park, and which are reminders of over 2,000 years of Leicester's history.   

The two timber framed buildings over and adjoining the Gateway, were erected in the middle of the 15th Century.   The Gateway is one of two, once gated, entrances to the Castle Yard.   Originally the building adjacent to and over the Gateway extended across into the Church of St Mary de Castro.   At first floor level the house extended right over the Church's North Aisle and through the Clerestory (the upper part of the Aisle).    In 1843 a petition was sent to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pointing out the "impropriety of a sleeping apartment intruding into the Church within a few feet of the minister at the font, with only the separation of a thin flooring."   In 1845 the then Vicar, the Reverend John Brown, launched an appeal to 'disjoin' the Church from the neighbouring house.   The Reverend Brown estimated that £250 would be needed to purchase the house and undertake the necessary structural removal, but he died before this amount was raised.   His successor, the Reverend O F Owen, sought a contribution from Queen Victoria, as the house was part of the Duchy of Lancaster.   The Chancellor of the Duchy in response indicated that Her Majesty was not able to make a grant of money, but agreement was given for the offending portion of the house to be sold to allow the structural work to take place.   In due course this was undertaken and was finished on 11 November 1848.

The other timber framed house was of the great chamber type, and to this, in the late 18th Century, was added the third house built of brick. It was certainly built by 1783 as it is shown in a Duchy of Lancaster survey of that year.

The buildings are of historic interest and have been listed by English Heritage. Listing ensures that the architectural and historic interest of the building is carefully considered before any alterations, either outside or inside, are agreed. The two timber framed medieval buildings are Grade II* meaning they are particularly important buildings of more than special interest. The Georgian brick building is Grade II being of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve it.

In 1889 the three residential dwellings were transferred from the Duchy of Lancaster to the County Council which leased them for residential purposes until 1962. Details of the occupants at the time of the 1901 census are given in an annex to this booklet.  For a time in the 1930's the tenants included William Keay, the County Architect, and the library of the Leicester and Leicestershire Society of Architects.

The Leicester Mercury reported in 1962 that the County Council's Buildings Committee had long been dissatisfied with the standard of the judges' lodgings at the then County (now City) Rooms in Hotel Street.    The Committee recommended that the houses now known as Castle House be adapted to provide judges' lodgings.   The conversion work started in 1963 following consideration of proposals by the Lord Chancellor's office, two Assize judges in Leicester at that time (Mr Justice Lewes and Mr Justice Widgery) and by the Georgian Group.   The Countess of Denbigh was invited to advise on furnishings and was assisted by County Council Alderman Mrs Norah Eady.   The work was completed in 1964 and the lodgings were first used at the Winter Assize in that year by Mr Justice Havers and Mr Justice Stephenson who commented:

"We have most enjoyed our stay in this charming, comfortable, beautifully furnished, attractively decorated old house or a combination of houses.   The lodgings seem to us to be a model of what lodgings should be and we (of whom one remembers the old lodgings) are glad to be the first to have the opportunity of saying so."

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