Hull Castle - The Castle

The Castle

During the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536) control of Hull was briefly taken by the rebels. After the rebellion, in late 1541 King Henry VIII visited Hull, and instructed that the fortifications be improved; in addition to scouring of the moat, and repairs and improvements to the walls and gates, he instructed that the de la Pole house, which had become the King's property was to be made into the town's citadel, and modifications made to the drainage system outside the town, so that the fields could be flooded at times of threat.

In February 1542 Henry's plan for Hull had expanded in scope – to the construction of a fortress in addition the walls – Henry appointed Michael Stanhope as his commander in Hull, providing £18,000 for the castle's construction. The castle was completed by the end of 1543, using locally made brick, as well as stone, some provided through the recently dissolved monastery at Meaux Abbey, as well as from St. Mary's church in Hull.

The structure was built on the east bank of the Hull, with three forts, connected by a wall, stretching from the opposite bank of the Hull to Northgates, south to the River Humber. The central fort "Hull Castle" was supported by two blockhouses on either end of the wall. At the same time as a bridge "North Bridge" was constructed across the Hull, just outside the walls; it was the first river bridge in Hull.

The castle was a three story structure, 66 by 50 ft (20 by 15 m) with walls 8 ft (2.4 m) deep, surrounded by a 19 ft (5.8 m) thick outer wall, the blockhouses were slight smaller area, two story structures, trefoil in shape, with rectangular building on the fourth corner in the direction of the joining walls.

In 1552 control of the Castle and blockhouses was transferred to the town of Hull.

On 16 September 1643 the north blockhouse was partially destroyed during the second Siege of Hull, and the north bridge damaged when the magazine was accidentally ignited by a careless gunner. Both were later repaired at a cost of £2,000.

In 1657 the castle was requiring repairs estimated to cost £5,000, and in 1670 storms caused damage to the south blockhouse that undermined its stability. In the 1680s the fortifications of Hull as well as Tilbury, Sheerness, and Portsmouth were ordered. The work on the Hull castle, under the control of Swedish engineer Martin Beckman would transform the fortifications on the east bank of the Hull into modern triangular fort, with governors house, magazine, and three barracks buildings that became known as the Hull Citadel. The southern blochouse and castle were incorporated into the Citadel, with the connecting wall removed. The northern blockhouse was outside the boundaries of the new fort, and was retained, later let for commercial purposes, before being demolished in 1802.