1895-2010
The Turret House Restored
The Turret House, which survived when the rest of the Manor was demolished, was being used as part of the farm. In 1870s the building was 
‘rediscovered’ when the 15th Duke of Norfolk commissioned his architect Charles Hadfield to restore it. This involved removing the surrounding farm buildings and renovating the House. The stained glass windows on the upper floors date from this Victorian restoration. The buildings were subsequently lived in until the 1950s by a series of families who acted as caretakers. Older local residents still remember Maggie Lester and her fierce little dogs!
By the 1890s the cottages had fallen into ruins, and the tenants had gone. The colliery closed in 1896 and the miners of the Manor Castle Village moved to the larger Nunnery Colliery lower down the hill, which opened in 1870. Shortly after 1900 and all the post 16th century buildings were demolished and the site cleared. Photographs taken at the time show that unfortunately some of the original fabric of the buildings was also swept away.
Photos of site and miners
Prints of restoration of turret house
