Approached from the M1 motorway, the honey-coloured castle stands on the skyline, while from the A632 via Chesterfield, it makes an unusual backdrop to a row of modern houses.
Pronounced locally as ‘Bozer’, the castle was a retreat away from Newcastle's main house, nearby Welbeck Abbey. Famed for his horsemanship, theatricality and loyalty to his King, Bolsover Castle sums up the pleasures of Newcastle's life.
A Long History
The castle dates from the twelfth century but its materials were stripped and sold during the fourteenth century. It remained in ruins until 1608, when Newcastle’s father, Sir Charles Cavendish started to develop what became his son’s favourite residence.
The Entrance
The impressive gateway has a fine view of the Great Court, with the main house, the Little Castle, in the background. A gate in the garden wall leads directly to the doors of the Riding House, aligned doorways being an architectural feature of seventeenth century. Views through one doorway to another and then another showed that the host could afford an extensive range of rooms and buildings.
The Riding House
The Riding House was evidence of status and cultured taste when horsemanship as an art was flourishing. Newcastle’s Riding House, dating from the 1630s, was among the earliest in England and, while used today as a setting for weddings, it remains the finest surviving example, having undergone extensive restoration in 1999/2000.
An impressive building from any perspective, the Riding House is especially significant to the horse-enthusiast, recalling a past which lead directly to dressage today. Newcastle’s two books on horsemanship were the only significant British contributions to the art and with the blacksmith’s workshop and stables alongside, it is easy to imagine the Riding House at the centre of his daily routine. Today, the stables house a charming model of the Little Castle for children to play in.
The Terrace Range
The Terrace Range was built in the 1630s to entertain King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, a highly successful but expensive venture. Only the shell remains today with missing floors revealing the construction of the building. There are also more intriguing views of doorways framed within doorways with the Little Castle or the Riding House as the eventual focal point, showing the ingenuity and wit of the design.
The Little Castle
The delightful Little Castle has been recently renovated to appear much as it did when decorated to Newcastle’s instructions. During the English Civil War, the Castle was almost destroyed and only with the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 could Newcastle return from exile in Antwerp to restore his favourite house.
From Earth to Heaven.
The rooms of the Little Castle make a journey from earthly to heavenly concerns, illustrating the dilemma of reconciling pleasure to virtue. The labours of Hercules decorate the entrance while Newcastle’s own pleasures, horses, music and art, feature throughout even in the smallest details, such as leaping horses decorating the Pillar Parlour. Romping female nudes in the Marble Closet recall another of his interests.
The Heaven Room
The Heaven Room is a closet off Newcastle’s own bedroom offering spiritual uplift with scenes from the life of Christ. A second closet, the Elysium Room, is decorated with scenes of pagan gods and goddesses. Between them they illustrate the ultimate choice of virtue or pleasure while a banner in the Elysium room reminds the visitor that ‘All is But vanitie.’
The Kitchens
The kitchens, below ground level, have interesting original features such as channels for water in the beer cellar, along with a film to supplement the information available through an audio tour. The three flights of stairs up which the serving staff would have carried meals must have made working there something of an aerobic exercise.
Another Naked Lady
The gardens have small fireplaces in the surrounding wall to provide warmth for tender plants while the central fountain features a lady bathing, overlooked from the balcony of the Elysium room. The lady may be Venus, goddess of love, or possibly Bathsheba, so that any gentleman on the balcony played the part of King David, torn between pleasure and virtue. The fountain and some of the statues have been reconstructed with great attention to authentic detail.
Practicalities for a Visit
Bolsover Castle offers a leisurely day’s outing but may be enjoyed in just a few hours, combined perhaps with a visit to nearby Hardwick Hall, built by the ambitious Bess of Hardwick, Newcastle’s grandmother.
The Visitor Centre has souvenirs, information and refreshments and the English Heritage website has details of opening hours, entrance fees and a programme of family-orientated events. The castle may also be hired for civil weddings, corporate hospitality and educational visits.
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