HOGHTON TOWER CASTLE
Historic Tudor-Elizabethan Manor House Lancashire
The
knighting of the beef. Mad cows and Englishmen. Sirloin, a truly royal
steak. A few slogans that
come to
mind in the Hoghton Tower story.
A great Tudor-Elizabethan era manor house castle in North England’s
Lancashire is most famous for a few days visit in the summer of
1617 by King James the First. Upon finishing a rather good meal, devoured
by a few hundred retainers with him on his visit, King James, the story
goes, was inspired to draw his sword and dub the English cut of beef “Sir
Loin”.
The proffering a knighthood on a piece of meat was the joke of a king’s
humor, perhaps in a jab at the French, who referred to the section of
flank as being “sur loin”. Beef was quite rare (if you'll
pardon the pun) for eating at that time, with game meats more common.
The story is legend with no written record of the actual statement, though
the
original
menu
for
the King’s
banquet can still be viewed in the great hall at Hoghton Tower.
The lands surrounding Hoghton
Tower have been in the hands of the same family since the Norman Conquest.
The castle, actually more a fortified
manor house, was built in its current and nearly original form in 1565,
and was one of the first great historic houses opened to the public in
1946. It is still a private home of the present lord of the manor, a
charming Sir Bernard (the 14th Baronet de Hoghton), very proud of his
family history and dedicated to making the family legacy a fascinating
place to visit. The property has been turned over to a charitable historic
preservation trust and is maintained on visitor admissions, but remains
the family
residence.
The
approach to Hoghton Tower offers a magnificent view the front gate
and tower, up what is called “the
long walk” for obvious
reasons. Fortunately one doesn’t have to walk all the way as a
parking area is provided. The view from the hill on which the house sits
extends from North Wales to Cumbria. Guided tours of the stately home
can be taken to get an insight into the characters of the Hoghton Tower
history, including the first Lord Buckingham, and later visitors Charles
Dickens (see Dickens
Museum) and Shakespeare, when a young touring player,
though
my apologies to Sir Bernard, I still have some remaining doubt (See Shakespeare:
The Stratford Man).
Touring
the house takes you through the paneled state rooms, the King’s
Bed Chamber where King James slept on his visit, the impressive Banqueting
Hall where the reputed steak knighting took place at the very table of
solid oak carved from
a single
tree,
a wonderful look into Elizabethen era life. After the the
house rooms, go underground through the secret passages, reputed to
be the third most haunted house in Britain. Yes, they seem
to have a rating system, though I’m not entirely certain who goes
around counting ghosts (See Muncaster
Castle). The hauntings could have something to do with
the dungeons of Hoghton Tower which played a part in the trials of the
Pendle
Witches
of Lancashire.
Hoghton Tower hosts a number of special events throughout the spring and summer months -17th Century Encampment military displays with family activities, a Classic Car and Motorcycle Show, Jazz and Symphony, Market Days. Hoghton Tower lies about an hour north of Manchester, halfway between Preston and Blackburn and can be reached by car via the M6 (head east on A675) or M56. The Preston Railway Station is about 25 minutes away. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Hoghton Tower
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See Also:
ETTINGTON
PARK HOTEL
Historic Manor House in Warwickshire
RIPLEY
CASTLE
Boars Head Inn Hotel in Yorkshire Dales
LAKESIDE & HAVERTHWAITE
RAILWAY
Steam Train Rides in the Cumbria Lake District
