Stokesay Castle
The remains of
Stokesay Castle lie on the outskirts of Craven Arms, close to the
River Onny.
Stokesay Castle is not
really a castle - rather, it is a fortified manor house on the
site of a Norman stronghold that dates back to 1281. The
conversion into a manor house was carried out by a wealthy local
merchant, Lawrence of Ludlow, who had made most of his fortune
from the wool trade.
The original fortifications included a moat, drawbridge,
gatehouse and crenellated walls. These were seen as essential
protection for a large house in The Marches, where lawless
bands often roamed.
Stokesay Castle never saw action in battle, although it faced a
siege during the Civil War of 1642 to 1646. The occupants of the
castle were then Royalists, but they handed the building over to
a group of Parliamentarians (Roundheads) after the siege in 1645
rather than face attack.
The Parliamentarians ordered that Stokesay be demolished (which
was the usual practice and had happened to other small castles in
the area to prevent them being used again as strongholds). For
some reason the order was never carried out in full, and the
demolition was largely confined to the destruction of a
crenellated wall.
Subsequently the adjoining Church of St John the Baptist was
largely destroyed, and much of the present church building has
been rebuilt.
Around 1700 Stokesay Castle became vacant, and remained empty for
some 150 years, its buildings used as farm buildings. It changed
hands in 1850 and then again in 1869, and was subsequently
restored.
The castle is now in the care of English Heritage, and open
to visitors from time to time.
