The Gatehouse

Hidden in the woods of Stopham House
The abandoned gatehouse hides
Its ruined gables slowly rot
With its collapsing sides

It’s yellowed stone, forgotten now
The overgrowth has swallowed
And saplings now all round about
Plant roots to quietly follow

Sad testament to Norman days
The Barttelot family lines
At Stopeham once resided
Back in Domesday times

©Jemverse

Stopham is a hamlet in the district of Chichester, West Sussex, UK. The Domesday book of 1066 records a manor at Stopham or Stopeham. This has been in the hands of the Barttelot family since the Norman Conquest. They are now Baronets. Little is recorded of when the gatehouse was built or when it fell to ruins.

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