'It's quite shocking' - historic Devon castle tower tumbles down after Storm Gerrit

An 11th-century castle has fallen victim to the British weather after Storm Gerrit brought down one of its 1,000-year-old towers.

Bickleigh Castle has had its left-hand turret partially collapse following the high winds and rainfall.

Owners of the castle, Robbie and Sarah Hay, have lived with their three dogs in the Grade I listed building for 22 years.

Robbie explained: “We heard a slight rumble, but we were not made aware of the collapse until one of our staff members told us at around 5pm.

“We’ve had some rather peculiar weather, to say the least, strong winds and rain, and over the weekend it was particularly noticeable.”

When the collapse took place, there was a yellow warning for wind, gusts up to 70mph.

In nearby Tipton-St-John, villagers were subjected to a mini-tornado, which split a 150-year-old tree in half.

There is now an amber warning in place as Storm Henk is set to bring disruption to the UK.

Travel in the region is also affected, with train delays and cancellations due to flooding.

Robbie added: “We suspect there was a sudden strong gust and variations in wind which has led to this.

“To a lesser extent, the rain has not helped. The climate has been mild, which has expanded the lime-mortar, which the building is not used to.

“Unlike cement, the stones breath, expand and contract and the joint they’re sitting on is flexible, hence the reason the old buildings can last so long, but in this instance, we have a situation where the weather is playing truant with us, and has caused a slippage on the front of the castle in storm conditions.”

They have talked of their shock at seeing a pile of rubble, including a door, flagpole, and bricks, in the front garden, following the slippage on Saturday 30 December.

The gatehouse dates from the early 12th century.

It is a three-storey stone structure with a pure slate roof surmounted by turrets. A central carriage archway leads into a courtyard.

The building was substantially altered in the 15th century by the Courtenay family and restored in the 1920s and 1930s during the ownerships of Mr Francis Harper and Lt Col Jasper Henson.

The owners are currently awaiting to hear from their insurance company to start the process of clearing and repairing the damage.

Sarah said: “It’s been there 1,000 years, it’s quite shocking to see what’s happened. Fortunately, nobody was in the garden when it happened.”

The couple says the collapse will not affect weddings, tours, staycations, and events.

She added: “We will move on from this, get the rubble removed as quickly as we can, but in the meantime, we are operating as normal.”