Oaklandsky's deer house castle (10 photos + 1 video)

This Georgian Gothic building was built to house unusual four-legged residents.





This ancient building looks like the ruins of an ancient country residence. But royalty and nobility did not live here. The castle was built with unusual inhabitants in mind – four-legged, and horned ones at that.



The Deer House is built on the grounds of Auckland Park, which was created by the Bishops of Durham over 800 years ago. The park served as their personal hunting ground.





Well-kept deer parks were a standard feature of their era in medieval England. Naturally, they were intended exclusively for the rich and famous. But buildings built exclusively for deer are unique. The Deer House was not built until the mid-1700s, when Bishop Richard Trevor was redeveloping the land around Auckland Castle.



The Georgian Gothic structure was built primarily to house and feed the deer. Its architecture imitates medieval buildings, taking the form of a false castle with pinnacles and pointed arches. A two-story tower overlooked the courtyard, allowing distinguished guests to watch the ungulates grazing. The bishop and his guests could also have a picnic on the grass, taking a break from the day's hunting.



Now the deer no longer delight visitors and do not live under the reliable protection of centuries-old walls. But the building stands as a wonderful example of Gothic Revival architecture of the 18th century, and walks around this area allow you to at least slightly touch the history of bygone times and forever gone eras.