From the 18th century onwards, Farleigh Hungerford Castle slipped into decline.
In 1702, the castle was sold on to Hector Cooper, who lived in Trowbridge; in 1730 it was passed in turn to the Houlton family, who had purchased the estates surrounding the castle.
The Houlton family broke up castle's stone walls and the internal contents for salvage.
Some of the parts, such as the marble floors, were reused at Longleat or in the Houlton's new house, Farleigh House, built nearby in the 1730s; other elements were reused by local villagers.
By the end of the 1730s the castle was ruinous and, although the castle chapel was repaired and brought back into use in 1779, the north-west and north-east towers had both collapsed by the end of 1797.
The outer court became a farm yard, with the priest's house becoming the farm house.
The castle's park was reassigned to serve Farleigh House instead.

Antiquarian curiosity in the castle had begun as early as 1700, when Peter Le Neve visited and recorded some of the architectural details, but interest increased in the 19th century.
This was partially due to the work of the local curate, the Reverend J. Jackson, who undertook the first archaeological excavations at the site during the 1840s, uncovering many of the foundations of the inner court.
17th and 18th century stained glass windows from the continent were installed in the chapel, where the 15th century wall paintings were rediscovered in 1844.
The then owner, Colonel John Houlton, turned the chapel into a museum of curiosities, where for a small fee visitors could see sets of armour, what was said to be a pair of Oliver Cromwell's boots and other English Civil War artefacts, including letters from Cromwell written to the Hungerfords.

The foundations that Jackson discovered during the excavations were left exposed for the benefit of visitors and larger numbers of tourists began to come to the castle to see the ruins, including Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in 1846.
The lead coffins in the chapel crypt were popular with tourists, although the coffins were extensively damaged by those visitors keen to see the contents inside.
The south-west tower, completely covered by thick ivy, collapsed in 1842, after local children accidentally set fire to the vegetation that was, by then, holding the tower together.
Battlements were added to the east gatehouse during this period, transforming the appearance of its original gabled roof.

In 1891, most of Farleigh Hungerford Castle was sold by the Houlton family to Lord Donington, whose heir in turn sold it onto Lord Cairns in 1907.
Cairns passed the castle to the Office of Works in 1915, by which time it was almost all heavily overgrown with ivy.
The Office of Works began a process of controversial restoration work, removing the ivy and repairing the stone work; the result was critiqued by H. Avray Tipping at the time as "giving the whole castle the effect of a new concrete building".
Further excavations took place in 1924 as part of the project, which retained the castle as a tourist attraction.
The last inhabitants of the farmhouse left in 1959, when the last parts of the outer court were sold to the government and restored.
Attempts were made to preserve the wall paintings in the chapel during 1931 and 1955, but the treatments, which involved the use of red wax, stained the paintings and caused considerable damage: the wax was removed in the 1970s.
Further excavations followed around the chapel and the priest's house in 1962 and 1968.
English Heritage took over responsibility for running the castle in 1983.
From the 18th century onwards, Farleigh Hungerford Castle slipped into decline. In 1702, the castle was sold on to Hector Cooper, who lived in Trowbridge; in 1730 it was passed in turn to the Houlton family, who had purchased the estates surrounding the castle. The Houlton family broke up castle's stone walls and the internal contents for salvage. Some of the parts, such as the marble floors, were reused at Longleat or in the Houlton's new house, Farleigh House, built nearby in the 1730s; other elements were reused by local villagers. By the end of the 1730s the castle was ruinous and, although the castle chapel was repaired and brought back into use in 1779, the north-west and north-east towers had both collapsed by the end of 1797. The outer court became a farm yard, with the priest's house becoming the farm house. The castle's park was reassigned to serve Farleigh House instead.
Antiquarian curiosity in the castle had begun as early as 1700, when Peter Le Neve visited and recorded some of the architectural details, but interest increased in the 19th century. This was partially due to the work of the local curate, the Reverend J. Jackson, who undertook the first archaeological excavations at the site during the 1840s, uncovering many of the foundations of the inner court. 17th and 18th century stained glass windows from the continent were installed in the chapel, where the 15th century wall paintings were rediscovered in 1844. The then owner, Colonel John Houlton, turned the chapel into a museum of curiosities, where for a small fee visitors could see sets of armour, what was said to be a pair of Oliver Cromwell's boots and other English Civil War artefacts, including letters from Cromwell written to the Hungerfords.
The foundations that Jackson discovered during the excavations were left exposed for the benefit of visitors and larger numbers of tourists began to come to the castle to see the ruins, including Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in 1846. The lead coffins in the chapel crypt were popular with tourists, although the coffins were extensively damaged by those visitors keen to see the contents inside. The south-west tower, completely covered by thick ivy, collapsed in 1842, after local children accidentally set fire to the vegetation that was, by then, holding the tower together. Battlements were added to the east gatehouse during this period, transforming the appearance of its original gabled roof.
In 1891, most of Farleigh Hungerford Castle was sold by the Houlton family to Lord Donington, whose heir in turn sold it onto Lord Cairns in 1907. Cairns passed the castle to the Office of Works in 1915, by which time it was almost all heavily overgrown with ivy. The Office of Works began a process of controversial restoration work, removing the ivy and repairing the stone work; the result was critiqued by H. Avray Tipping at the time as "giving the whole castle the effect of a new concrete building". Further excavations took place in 1924 as part of the project, which retained the castle as a tourist attraction. The last inhabitants of the farmhouse left in 1959, when the last parts of the outer court were sold to the government and restored. Attempts were made to preserve the wall paintings in the chapel during 1931 and 1955, but the treatments, which involved the use of red wax, stained the paintings and caused considerable damage: the wax was removed in the 1970s. Further excavations followed around the chapel and the priest's house in 1962 and 1968. English Heritage took over responsibility for running the castle in 1983.
Farleigh Hungerford Castle