Donnington Castle

Donnington Castle stands in the quiet village of Shaw cum Donnington, north of Newbury in Berkshire. Built in 1386 by Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder, it began as a licence from Richard II. The castle took a rectangular shape with four round corner towers and two square towers along the east and west walls. Inside the curtain wall would have been a hall, kitchens and guest quarters. The surviving gatehouse, three storeys high, still shows its original battlements.

The castle played a key role in the First English Civil War. Royalist Sir John Boys defended it for 18 months against Parliament’s forces. After surrendering in 1646, Parliament ordered its demolition, leaving only the gatehouse. Star-shaped earthworks from the siege remain visible today. The site is now managed by English Heritage as a scheduled ancient monument.

Visitors walk among low modern walls that mark the castle’s original footprint. The gatehouse’s narrow rooms and high battlements give a sense of its past strength. From the earthworks, views stretch across the surrounding countryside. The ruins stand as a quiet reminder of medieval power and civil conflict.