Old Beaupre Castle

The original house was an L-shaped building, now located within the inner courtyard, built circa 1300 and from this period until the 18th century it was owned by the Basset family.

The buildings on the west side of the middle court, now roofless, provided luxurious living accommodation with large windows, handsome fireplaces, a fine stone stairway, and numerous privies connected to a drain along which water still flows.

After the 16th century alterations little work was carried out on Beaupre, and after the English Civil War the Basset family fortunes went into decline.

The southeastern block continues to be occupied up to the present time as a farmhouse and has a separate listing on the historic buildings register.

The porch, designed by Richard Twrch,[3] consists of varying architectural styles including a Tudor arch, strapwork decoration and three tiers of flanked columns.

The columns rise in ascending order from Doric to Ionic to Corinthian and the second tier bears the Basset family heraldic set on panels.

A small car park is available 275 yards (250 metres) away and visitors approach the property across pastureland, with stiles and a kissing gate.