The Gatehouse website record for Northborough Manor House

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Northborough Castle Farmhouse

In the civil parish of Northborough. In the historic county of Northamptonshire (Soke of Peterborough) (Modern Authority of Peterborough; City of, 1974 county of Cambridgeshire).

Manor house, built 1330-40 by the de la Mare family. The hall and gatehouse survive, with early C16 and early C17 alterations. The house is constructed from coursed stone rubble with steeply pitched Collyweston stone roofs.
The gatehouse had neither portcullis nor drawbridge, but, such as it was, it was relied on, together with the surrounding walls and buildings to protect the house. Bridges speaks of the 'noble gatehouse with spacious stone arches and mouldings, and chambers over it'. The chambers and vaulting are gone, but the circular stairs remain, leading to a delapidated loft. He also mentions stone stairs in the house, and a window 'at the E end, now almost filled up, where probably was formerly a chapel', but there is now nothing by which this part of the building can be identified. Built in 1330 - 1340 by the de-la-Mare family. The gatehouse and hall is all that survives from a major manor house. The gatehouse has a slightly lower roof line and has large moulded and chamfered arch through. Inside there is a narrow bay, formerly rib vaulted, separated from the larger rib vaulted S bay by a cross wall with an arched carriageway and a pedestrian way. Northborough Manor was built by Roger de Northburgh, Bishop of Lichfield, in 1335. The house had a great hall with separate private apartments at one end, an imposing gatehouse and various other buildings. It was originally intended to be larger, but Roger had difficulties with the builders. A stone gatehouse of the same period as the manor house (early C14), to which a range of C17 buildings have been added (not scheduled). The carriageway of the gatehoue is in two sections a section by a vertical wall, pierced by cat and mouse doorways also with pointed arches. A further large pointed arch gives access to the courtyard. Both sections have had quadripartite vaults, but only the springings remain. The E section of the gatehouse contains a small porter's room and a circular stair leading originally to a room above this, but, since the removal of the vaulting, to a loft running the whole width of the gatehouse. Stonework in reasonable condition, some repair work evident, but this does not seem to be of a recent date. String course on NW side is damaged. Roofing slates are in poor condition, covered in moss and slipping badly in some areas. (City of Peterborough HER)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TF15100782

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 350056
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 50723; 02005 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.