Dobroyd castle
Encyclopedia
Dobroyd Castle is an important historic building above the town of Todmorden
, West Yorkshire
, England
. It was built for John Fielden, local mill
owner and son of Honest John Fielden
the Social Reformer and MP.
The building has had a varied past. First built as an extravagant mansion house, then it was used as a school, it then became a Buddhist Retreat centre and the building is currently used as an Activity Centre for Primary School Groups.
The castle has 66 rooms and is Grade II* listed.
Whether or not that was said, the couple married in 1857 and in due course a castle was built. Fielden commissioned prestigious architect, John Gibson
to design and build the Castle between 1866 and 1869 at a cost of £71,589.
John and Ruth Fielden lived in the Castle but the couple became progressively distant and estranged, a Swiss chalet was built in the valley bottom for Ruth and it is said that she became an alcoholic. Ruth died in 1877 (aged 50), just 8 years after the castle's completion. John died in the castle in 1893 (aged 77). After his death, the Castle stayed in the Fielden family but was used infrequently and was eventually sold for £10,000.
The Home Office used the castle between 1942 and 1979 as a place for 15 to 18 year old males to learn manual skills such as building or carpentry alongside the rest of their curriculum. After a 3 month closure in 1979 the castle reopened as the private
ly run Castle School. 20 boys with emotional and behavioural problems were educated there. Following the school's closure in 1989 the castle lay empty for a period of 6 years.
The Castle was acquired by Buddhists of the New Kadampa Tradition
in 1995. They bought the castle for £320,000 and the building became the Losang Dragpa
Centre, named after a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism
. In 2007 it was announced that the Buddhists were leaving the Castle and there was concern locally for the future of the Castle, especially in light of the fact that the roof was in a state of disrepair and the work required to renovate it was going to cost in the region of £200,000. The Buddhists had secured a grant for £127,000 from English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund but this would not necessarily be transferable to the new owners.
Robinwood Activity Centre Ltd. acquired the castle and grounds for £2.2 million in 2008 and by March 2009 had transformed the Castle into an activity centre.
to design the Castle. It was to "Immortalise the name of Fielden" and to be "the most commanding object in the neighbourhood". The total cost of the building came to a total of £71,589 making it more expensive than either Todmorden Town Hall or Todmorden's Unitarian Church
, both prestigious and architecturally significant buildings designed by Gibson.
The 2 storey building has 4 turrets on its corners, several bay windows and a substantial 4 storey tower. The vast majority of the top of the building is castellated with battlements although of course this is for aesthetic rather than defensive reasons. Inside the castle are large columns of Devonshire Marble, a Rose Pink Marble fireplace, and an imposing Spinkwell Stone staircase. The Saloon
(or 'Salon') area is topped by two large glass domes. The building contains four stone Tympana
carved from Caen stone
. The four carvings depict different images associated with the cotton industry. The Fieldens were a force for change in the conditions of workers in the very industry that made their own fortunes. This has certainly led some to believe that the carvings are intended to communicate these humanitarian beliefs.
The 66 room building is Grade II* listed.
Todmorden
Todmorden is a market town and civil parish, located 17 miles from Manchester, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and has a total population of 14,941....
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was built for John Fielden, local mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
owner and son of Honest John Fielden
John Fielden
John Fielden , also known as Honest John Fielden, was a British social reformer and benefactor. He was the third son of Joshua Fielden, and began working in his father's mill at the age of 9. With his brothers, he expanded the family cotton business at Todmorden to become a wealthy businessman...
the Social Reformer and MP.
The building has had a varied past. First built as an extravagant mansion house, then it was used as a school, it then became a Buddhist Retreat centre and the building is currently used as an Activity Centre for Primary School Groups.
The castle has 66 rooms and is Grade II* listed.
History
In the mid 19th century Todmorden was a booming, successful cotton town. It is in this setting that rich industrialist, John Fielden (Junior) fell in love with local worker, Ruth Stansfield and asked her to be his wife. It is often said that her reply was that she would marry him if he built her a castle.Whether or not that was said, the couple married in 1857 and in due course a castle was built. Fielden commissioned prestigious architect, John Gibson
John Gibson (architect)
John Gibson was an English architect born in Warwickshire.Gibson was an assistant to Sir Charles Barry and assisted him in the drawings of the Houses of Parliament....
to design and build the Castle between 1866 and 1869 at a cost of £71,589.
John and Ruth Fielden lived in the Castle but the couple became progressively distant and estranged, a Swiss chalet was built in the valley bottom for Ruth and it is said that she became an alcoholic. Ruth died in 1877 (aged 50), just 8 years after the castle's completion. John died in the castle in 1893 (aged 77). After his death, the Castle stayed in the Fielden family but was used infrequently and was eventually sold for £10,000.
The Home Office used the castle between 1942 and 1979 as a place for 15 to 18 year old males to learn manual skills such as building or carpentry alongside the rest of their curriculum. After a 3 month closure in 1979 the castle reopened as the private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
ly run Castle School. 20 boys with emotional and behavioural problems were educated there. Following the school's closure in 1989 the castle lay empty for a period of 6 years.
The Castle was acquired by Buddhists of the New Kadampa Tradition
New Kadampa Tradition
The New Kadampa Tradition ~ International Kadampa Buddhist Union is a global Buddhist organisation founded by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in England in 1991. In 2003 the words "International Kadampa Buddhist Union" were added to the original name "New Kadampa Tradition"...
in 1995. They bought the castle for £320,000 and the building became the Losang Dragpa
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
Centre, named after a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. In 2007 it was announced that the Buddhists were leaving the Castle and there was concern locally for the future of the Castle, especially in light of the fact that the roof was in a state of disrepair and the work required to renovate it was going to cost in the region of £200,000. The Buddhists had secured a grant for £127,000 from English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund but this would not necessarily be transferable to the new owners.
Robinwood Activity Centre Ltd. acquired the castle and grounds for £2.2 million in 2008 and by March 2009 had transformed the Castle into an activity centre.
The Building
Fielden commissioned John GibsonJohn Gibson (architect)
John Gibson was an English architect born in Warwickshire.Gibson was an assistant to Sir Charles Barry and assisted him in the drawings of the Houses of Parliament....
to design the Castle. It was to "Immortalise the name of Fielden" and to be "the most commanding object in the neighbourhood". The total cost of the building came to a total of £71,589 making it more expensive than either Todmorden Town Hall or Todmorden's Unitarian Church
Todmorden Unitarian Church
Todmorden Unitarian Church is a formerly redundant Unitarian church standing in Honey Hole Road, Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England , now holding services again. It occupies an elevated position overlooking the town...
, both prestigious and architecturally significant buildings designed by Gibson.
The 2 storey building has 4 turrets on its corners, several bay windows and a substantial 4 storey tower. The vast majority of the top of the building is castellated with battlements although of course this is for aesthetic rather than defensive reasons. Inside the castle are large columns of Devonshire Marble, a Rose Pink Marble fireplace, and an imposing Spinkwell Stone staircase. The Saloon
State room
A state room in a large European mansion is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed to impress. The term was most widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were the most lavishly decorated in the house and contained the finest works of art...
(or 'Salon') area is topped by two large glass domes. The building contains four stone Tympana
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
carved from Caen stone
Caen stone
Caen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
. The four carvings depict different images associated with the cotton industry. The Fieldens were a force for change in the conditions of workers in the very industry that made their own fortunes. This has certainly led some to believe that the carvings are intended to communicate these humanitarian beliefs.
The 66 room building is Grade II* listed.