Shrewsbury Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shrewsbury Castle |
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| Shrewsbury, Shropshire | |
Shrewsbury Castle
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 Shrewsbury Castle
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| Coordinates | 52°42′40″N 02°44′58″W / 52.71111°N 2.74944°W |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Shropshire Council |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1070 |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 10 January 1953 |
| Reference no. | 1246877 |
Shrewsbury Castle is an old castle made of red sandstone. You can find it in Shrewsbury, a town in Shropshire, England. It sits high up on a hill, right where the River Severn bends around the town. The castle is very close to Shrewsbury railway station. It's also a "Grade I listed building," which means it's a very important historic place.
The Castle's Story
The first castle here was ordered by William the Conqueror around 1067. It was built to help control the area. Later, around 1070, a powerful lord named Roger de Montgomery made it much bigger. He used it as a base to move into Wales. It also became a center for managing the area. The castle helped protect Shrewsbury town, which was already safe on one side because of the river's bend.
Later, Town walls were added to the town's defenses. These walls helped protect against attacks from Wales. Not much of these walls is left today. However, a small part and one tower, called Town Walls Tower, can still be seen. The National Trust looks after this tower.
In 1138, during a time called The Anarchy, King Stephen attacked the castle. He successfully took it from William FitzAlan, who supported Empress Maud.
Changes Over Time
The castle was briefly held by Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales, in 1215. Some parts of the original medieval castle are still there. These include the inner part where the main castle buildings were. The outer part, which reached into the town, has disappeared. Shops and other buildings were built over it long ago.
After about 1300, the castle was not used as much. It started to fall apart. During the time of Queen Elizabeth I, it became a home. Around 1600, the town council took ownership of it.
The castle was repaired in 1643 during the English Civil War. It was attacked by soldiers from Wem but soon gave up. In 1663, Sir Francis Newport bought the castle. More repairs were done after 1780 by Thomas Telford. He was a famous engineer. These repairs were designed by the architect Robert Adam.
The Castle Today
In 1924, the Shropshire Horticultural Society bought the castle. They then gave it to the town. For over 50 years, it was where Shrewsbury's town council met.
In 1985, the castle became home to the Shropshire Regimental Museum. This museum moved its collections from other places. On August 25, 1992, the museum was attacked. This caused a lot of damage to the castle and its collections. The museum officially reopened on May 2, 1995. Princess Alexandra came for the reopening. In 2019, the museum changed its name to the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum.
In 2019 and 2020, people did archaeology work at the castle. This was a project by Shropshire Council and the University of Chester. In 2019, they found parts of the original ditch. This ditch was around the castle's mound from about 1067. They also found old pottery and two arrowheads. In 2020, they looked for a chapel but did not find it. However, they found signs of fancy meals. These included bones from a pike fish and possibly a swan.
What's Inside?
The museum inside the castle has collections from two army groups. These are the King's Shropshire Light Infantry and the Shropshire Yeomanry. You can see interesting items there. These include a piece of Napoleon Bonaparte's hair. There is also a special baton that belonged to Karl Dönitz. The museum also has three Victoria Crosses. These are very brave awards given to Captain Alfred Kirke Ffrench, Private Charles Irwin, and Sergeant Major Harold Whitfield.
Laura's Tower is a part of the castle that looks out over the town and countryside. It is sometimes used for events and weddings.
More to Explore
- History of Shrewsbury
- Listed buildings in Shrewsbury (southeast central area)
- King's Shropshire Light Infantry
- Ludlow Castle, another castle in the Welsh Marches area
- One Corpse Too Many – a historical story about the 1138 battle at the castle
