Shrewsbury Castle

Shrewsbury Castle stands on a hill above the River Severn in Shropshire. Built from red sandstone, it occupies the narrow neck of a meander where the town first grew. The railway station lies directly below the castle walls. A Grade I listed building, it has guarded the town since the 11th century. The inner bailey still shows parts of the original medieval structure. The outer bailey, once stretching into the town, has disappeared under later buildings. The castle’s history includes sieges, changes of ownership and repairs by famous figures. William I ordered the first castle around 1067, and Roger de Montgomery expanded it soon after. During the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda, William Fitz Alan held the castle for Matilda until Stephen took it in 1138. Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales, briefly held the castle in 1215. Later, Thomas Telford and Robert Adam worked on the castle in the 18th century. In 1992 the IRA attacked the museum inside, causing damage repaired by 1995. Visitors find the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum inside the castle. The museum displays items from the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and the Shropshire Yeomanry. Among the exhibits are a lock of Napoleon’s hair, Karl Dönitz’s Grand Admiral’s Baton and Victoria Crosses awarded to Captain Alfred Kirke Ffrench, Private Charles Irwin and Sergeant Major Harold Whitfield. Laura’s Tower offers views over the town and countryside. Excavations in 2019 and 2020 uncovered the original ditch around the motte and medieval pottery, including arrowheads.