Betchworth Castle (ruins)

The fortified house of West Betchworth was traditionally home to the lords of that manor. Betchworth Castle was built in the 11th century by Robert Fitz Gilbert to be used as an earthwork fortress. In 1379 Sir John Fitzalan turned it into a stone castle. in the 15th century the castle was rebuilt by Sir Thomas Browne.
In 1798 the estate stretched from the zigzag at Box Hill to beyond Blackbrook. Sir John Soane was commissioned by the owner, Henry Peters to design alterations to the house and park; the stable block remains but converted into houses.
Betchworth Castle Ruin The house was bought by Henry Hope to add to his Deepdene estate in 1834, and much of the masonry was removed for work elsewhere. The Castle was allowed to collapse to create a picturesque ruin.
In 2008 Mole Valley District Council sold the ruin for £1.00 to a Betchworth resident Martin Higgins who is planning to breathe life back into the castle.
The castle is said to be haunted by a black dog (death dog) that prowls the ruins at night, also the grounds of the castle (Betchworth Park golf course) is haunted by evil or unexplained things, one[who?] has photos to prove this. Owner "Lord Hope" (Either a mistaken reference to Henry Thomas Hope or his grandson Francis Pelham-Clinton-Hope, 8th Duke of Newcastle who was forced to take that name by his grandmother) - (the latter became the lord of the manor of Brockham rather than owner of Deepdene) he chased and killed an escaping convict with his sword. He later found out that it was in fact his own son he had killed. Lord Hope is said to now walk around the ruins in regret.
(21/08/2014 - UPDATE info from owner re-stone slabs in driveway)
Work on the terrace wall starts next week. The stone slabs come from a factory in Preston, not local at all. They are only being stored temporarily on the drive.