Shrewsbury Castle

Shrewsbury Castle

Shrewsbury Castle as it can be seen today is a Norman red sandstone construction. It was originally built by Roger de Montgomery in 1070 on the site of an original Anglo-Saxon fortification that would have guarded the original approach to the town and the River Severn.

Little of the Castle survives today, as much of it was demolished under the reign of Edward I when a rebuilding and strengthening programme was initiated. Over the years the castle lost its defensive significance and fell into a state of decay.

The Castle was captured by Parliamentarians in 1645 and was eventually surrendered to the crown in 1660, once Charles II was restored to the throne.

The king then granted Shrewsbury Castle to Sir Francis Newport of High Ercall in 1663. The castle remained in private hands until 1924 when it was acquired by the Corporation of Shrewsbury (Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council), who undertook a process of restoration and opened the castle to the public in 1926.

Today Shrewsbury Castle houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum including spectacular collections of pictures, weapons, uniforms and other memorabilia from the 1700's to the present.

If you head up to Laura's Tower on the motte, you'll be standing on the site of the first Norman castle.