How old is shrewsbury castle

The king granted the castle to Sir Francis Newport of High Ercall, Shropshire in , and it remained in private hands until , when it was acquired by the Corporation of Shrewsbury. It was restored as much as possible to its Edwardian condition and opened to the public in Book Hotels. Map Shrewsbury England Shrewsbury. View our full list of Attractions in Shrewsbury. Get Inspired for Your Next Vacation.

Unlike many contemporary fortifications, which were hastily refortified with earthworks, Shrewsbury Castle was the recipient of a substantial stone rebuilding programme largely due to the fact that Shropshire and Wales were pro-Royalist meaning the immediate threat to the town was minimal.

The Inner Bailey gatehouse barbican was demolished at this time and replaced with an artillery blockhouse. The curtain wall was also modified to make it more suitable for firearms and the Postern Gate was also added probably an upgrade of an early medieval structure. Various houses that had been built in the immediate hinterland of the castle were demolished to give a clear field of fire and to create space for defensive ditches.

The town walls were also enhanced at this time with the segment between Welsh Bridge and the North Burgess Gate fortified for the first time the river had originally been deemed a sufficient barrier on its own. Shrewsbury saw no action in the Civil War until February It was besieged but, on 11 March , the attackers managed to penetrate the town defences via the Water Gate and quickly overran the settlement.

The castle surrendered the following day with its garrison allowed to march out to join the Royalists at Ludlow Castle. His family used it as a private residence through to when it was purchased by William Pulteney, the Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury. Around he commissioned the architect Thomas Telford to remodel the castle and this work included the erection of Laura's Tower. This period also saw the demolition of the last remaining town gates - Welsh Gate and North Gate.

In the castle was purchased by Shropshire Horticultural Society. They commissioned Charles Nicholson to restore the castle which included removal of many of the changes introduced by Telford. Further alterations took place in when the castle was converted to house the Shropshire Regimental Museum. Armitage, E. S Early Norman Castles of the British Isles. Carruthers, B and Ingram, J. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Illustrated and Annotated. Pen and Sword, Barnsley.

Creighton, O. H Equinox, Bristol. Douglas, D. C and Whitelock, D ed English Historical Documents Vol 1 c Routledge, London. C and Greeaway, G. W ed English Historical Documents Vol 2 C and Rothwell, H ed English Historical Documents Vol 3 C and Myers, A.

R ed English Historical Documents Vol 5 Duckers, P Shrewsbury Castle: A Brief History. Goodall, J The English Castle Yale University Press. Harvey, A Castles and Walled Towns of England. Liddiard, R Castles in Context: Power, Symbolism and Landscape Royle, T Abacus, London.

Around further alterations took place under the direction of architect and engineer Thomas Telford , who built the watchtower now known as Laura's Tower. Telford rebuilt the castle interiors to serve as a comfortable private dwelling. A final major restoration of the castle structure took place in under Sir Charles Nicholson, by which time the castle had passed into the hands of the Corporation of Shrewsbury, who maintain it today.

Within the castle is the Shropshire Regimental Museum, containing mementoes, pictures, uniforms, medals, and archives of the regiment dating back to the 18th century. The structure we see today consists of the rectangular great hall with two towers, contained within a curtain wall. The castle is entered through an entry arch dating to the 12th century, while the bailey walls are probably from The castle grounds are usually open to visitors during the day, but there is a charge to visit the museum.

Most photos are available for licensing, please contact Britain Express image library. We've 'tagged' this attraction information to help you find related historic attractions and learn more about major time periods mentioned. Heritage Rated from 1- 5 low-exceptional on historic interest. Shrewsbury, St Mary's Church - 0. Shrewsbury Abbey - 0. Shrewsbury Town Walls Tower - 0.