Stokesay Castle, which is located in Shropshire, dates from the 13th century and is a good example of a fortified manor house. The family who built the house were the Ludlow family, and they received their money from the wool industry and members of the family lived there until the 1600s. Afterwards, the house was rented out, and during the Civil War, they supported the losing side, but the castle was not fully damaged as it retained its use as a home. The castle was never intended to be used as a stronghold and was built only as a home. In later years, the house was used for agriculture and restored and then opened for tourism in 1908. Today, it is managed by English Heritage.
I visited Stokesay Castle at the end of August when I visited Shropshire and Worcestershire. The first building on the entrance to the castle is the 17th century gatehouse. The gatehouse contains carvings from Biblical stories, and it was never meant to be used for defense.
Note that the buildings are relatively empty of furnishings and furniture.
The building in front of the gatehouse or just behind it is the old hall and the tower with solar block. The tower has three floors. The structures mainly date from the 1200s.
The hall was constructed with high ceilings and an area in the middle of the floor for a hearth, which was made to appear that the building is older than it actually is. In fact, there isn't any way for the smoke to escape if a hearth is heated and put into the middle of the floor. The great hall was used to host guests, such as the bishop of Herefordshire who was entertained here over ten days at the expense of the owner.
Off of the great tower is a small cellar, and this is in the north tower. The area was used to prepare food and clean dishes.
Some previous wall paintings have been uncovered in the castle.
The north tower has some other rooms which would have been richly decorated.
The top of the tower includes a room with a lot of windows, and this jets outward from the structure.
On the opposite side of the hall is the solar block, and I checked out the cellar first. This was used for storing perishables.
Above, the rooms are richly decorated. There are views from this room into the Great Hall.
Outside from here, I climbed stairs to the south tower, which has great views.
The garden at Stokesay is designed in Edwardian style, typical of 1908 with a practical use for growing useful plants and vegetables.
After exploring the castle, I had a wander around the former moat, which is now a walkway around the castle.
There is a church just outside of the castle grounds as well.
I enjoyed my visit to Stokesay Castle.
Leave a comment