Snodhill Castle

Snodhill Castle stands on a steep-sided hill between the River Dore and its tributary, the Snodhill Stream in the Golden Valley. It is a ruined motte-and-bailey castle about a mile south of the village of Dorstone in west Herefordshire. Built in the 11th century, it secured the border between Norman England and the Welsh Princes. Archaeologists have found early stone fortifications beneath later additions, showing it was one of the first Norman castles in England to use stone from its foundation. The castle was first mentioned in 1142 and remained in private hands for centuries. Historic England took over its lease in 2013 to enable repairs, later passing it to the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust. The site has been surveyed and stabilised, with excavations revealing its layered history. John Leland, the antiquary, described it in 1540 as partly ruined but still standing with a walled park and a marble quarry nearby. Visitors find the motte topped by a polygonal keep with drum-shaped towers added later. The inner bailey has earthen ramparts, a stone curtain wall, and traces of buildings. A modern footpath leads into the bailey, where the remains of a royal free chapel and a large tower stand. The chapel is unusual as the only royal chapel built within a lordship castle. The site offers views over the Golden Valley and the surrounding countryside.