Grade I-listed Devon castle tower collapses

Part of a Grade I-listed castle in Devon has fallen down after sustaining damage in Storm Gerrit.

The collapsed tower at Bickleigh Castle, near Tiverton, was damaged in the wake of the storm, amid strong winds on 30 December.

The castle tower dates back to the 12th Century, according to John Vaughan, who works at the site.

Mr Vaughan said seeing the rubble was "a bit traumatic" and rebuilding the tower would take "a while".

He said: "This castle has stood for 900 years, just about, and although it had a little bit of rebuilding work in the 1930s and after the civil war, nevertheless, it is a very old structure and you don't expect it to subside like that.

"It's been a case of having to take it on board and think what we do next.

"I'm sure it will be fine, but everyone found it a bit traumatic."

Bickleigh Castle is now a venue for weddings and other events, and offers bed and breakfast accommodation.

Mr Vaughan said he hoped most of the stone which had fallen from the tower could be reused in the rebuild.

He added: "Going forwards, we're going to have to sort out this, which will need tidying up, some mechanical equipment to move it all.

"Luckily, we've got a field where we can have all the stone moved to, and then it will have to be graded by our stonemason.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to reuse a lot of the stone.

"Then we've got to have a plan in place to put it back together ... it's all going to take a while."

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