Description

SHREWSBURY

SJ4912NW CASTLE GATES
653-1/11/159 (East side)
10/01/53 Shrewsbury Castle
(Formerly Listed as:
CASTLE GATES
(East side)
The Castle)

GV I

Remains of castle. Largely late C12-c1300, with various later
modifications. Mostly red sandstone.
PLAN: inner bailey wall, gateway and main hall survive.
Curtain wall surrounds the inner bailey, built of coursed and
squared red sandstone in several phases between 1164 and 1300.
Walkway and crenellations survive in part. Gateway also late
C12, with roll moulded outer archway with C17 wood panelled
doors. Main hall in NW of bailey: begun in 1164 and enlarged
1300 and 1596.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys, 6-window range entered at first-floor
level to right through steeply arched doorway with engaged
shafts and moulding. This storey largely of c1300, over
earlier structure to ground floor, begun 1164. Paired
round-arched lancets to ground floor, and narrow doorway with
shafts. Y-traceried windows in upper storey, and wide
crenellated parapet. This upper storey built 1596 and
re-fenestrated by Thomas Telford in 1780. Polygonal towers of
c1300 at western angle, and to NE.
INTERIOR: hall reveals complex building history: its present
character is largely the result of a series of restorations,
including the removal of a floor to open the second and third
storeys together, and the removal of partitions introduced by
Thomas Telford.
Roof is late C16, with 8 trusses with moulded tie beams and
principal rafters. Short king posts with carved decoration and
fretted carving in the spandrels. Trusses to east and west are
slightly different, and may be later reconstructions.
Close studded screen at eastern end of hall, with gallery over
added in 1643. Fragmentary remains of moulded cornice mark the
original height of the walls. Fireplace with hood (renewed)
against north wall.
In the NW tower, a circular room with plaster panelled walls
articulated by pilasters with swags, and a dado cornice.
Enriched plaster work ceiling. This decoration formed part of
the remodelling of the castle carried out by Telford c1780.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the earliest castle on the site was a motte
and bailey built by Roger de Montgomery of which no traces
survive. It is possible that this itself replaced an earlier
Saxon fortification. The castle was a royal castle until the
time of Edward I, and Henry II and Edward I were both
responsible for major programmes of building. Repair work was
carried out during the Civil War in 1643, and the castle was
again renovated in c1780 by Thomas Telford for Sir William
Pulteney. In 1924 the Shropshire Horticultural Society
purchased the castle and carried out an extensive programme of
restoration which included removal of all the internal
partitions introduced by Telford. Further alterations took
place in 1985 when the castle was converted to house the
Shropshire Regimental Museum.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Shropshire:
Harmondsworth: 1858-).

Listing NGR: SJ4944012884

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Shrewsbury Castle at Wikipedia
• Shrewsbury Castle official website
• Wikidata Q2280236

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings