To this William Compton the King granted an augmentation to his arms from his own Royal ensigns and devices, and at the beginning of his reign made him custodian of the castle at Fulbroke, which had fallen into ruins. About 1509 Sir William Compton, who had gained great distinction at the Battle of Spurs, and had been knighted for his gallantry, pulled down the castle, and with part of the materials—consisting in the main of some of the stone, the chimneys, and part of the woodwork—set about building himself a mansion at Compton Wynyates. Tradition asserts that the chimneys were carried from the ruined castle, for use in the new mansion, in panniers on the backs of horses and donkeys. Thus was built one of the most interesting and picturesque mansions of Warwickshire, and, indeed, of any county in England. The house was erected round a quadrangle 75 feet square. The four sides of the building, however, were not designed with exactitude, the north being 140 feet, the south 146 feet, the east 155 feet, and the west 152 feet in length. Over the arch of the entrance porch are carved the arms of Henry VIII., supported by a griffin and a greyhound, above which is a crown with the inscription, “DOM.REX.HENRICVS.OCTAV.” On the hollow mouldings of the drip–stone are figures of lizards, other animals, and roses; whilst on each side is the Tudor double rose of York and Lancaster beneath a crown. The left–hand spandril is filled in with a device of Catherine of Aragon formed by the Castle of Castile and the pomegranate of Granada: also a sheaf of arrows, the badge of her mother Isabella. The right–hand spandril contains the portcullis, which was a badge of Henry VIII. Anciently there was, of course, a drawbridge, and inside the archway on either side are stone benches and doors which led out to the moat when the drawbridge was raised. The old oak doors contain a wicket, and still show traces of bombardment from callivers and matchlocks. But these doors, which are strongly panelled inside, would appear to have successfully resisted all the attacks made upon them. On passing beneath the entrance porch into the inner court one is at once struck by the beautiful bay–window on the right–hand side containing eight lights, with mullions and transoms and carved panels, and battlements above. Between two windows on the left of the door is a lion’s head carved in stone, which is worth notice, as there is a tradition that on festive occasions it ran with wine, which was supplied from the inside of the house and ran into a basin formerly fixed below the head. This courtyard is rendered more picturesque than even it would otherwise be by the beautiful flowers and creepers, more especially the fuchsias, which adorn it.