Bishop's Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bishop's Castle | |
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| Population | 1,630 |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | South Shropshire |
| Shire county | Shropshire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BISHOPS CASTLE |
| Postcode district | SY9 |
| Dial code | 01588 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Shropshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Ludlow |
| European Parliament | West Midlands |
| List of places: UK • England • Shropshire | |
Bishop's Castle is a small market town in Shropshire, England, and formerly its smallest borough. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,630. Bishop's Castle is 4 miles east of the Welsh border, about ten miles north-west of Ludlow and about twenty miles south-west of Shrewsbury. To the south is Clun and to the east is Church Stretton.
There is no main road running through the town, though the A488 runs north-south to the east of the town, on its way from Shrewsbury, Pontesbury and Minsterley to Clun and Knighton. The B4385 runs around the town and connects with the A488.
It is also known for its alternative community.
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[edit] Facilities
Although it is smaller than many villages, Bishop's Castle has all the facilities of a small town and still retains its important cattle market in the heart of the town. It has a post office, two banks, two butchers, a bread shop, a chemist, three general groceries and shoe and clothes shops where you can buy walking gear. It also has several good pubs, including two micro-breweries, the Six Bells Brewery and the renowned John Roberts Brewery at the Three Tunns, and all of which have restaurants or do bar meals. There are also several other places to eat, The Castle Hotel and plenty of B&B's, two second hand bookshops and several antique shops.
Sights in the town include Bishop's Castle Town Hall, the House on Crutches, the John Roberts Brewery and the Six Bells Brewery.
The Town also possesses a vibrant sporting community, including Cricket Club, Football Club, Rugby Club, Womens Hockey Club, Squash Club, Tennis Club.
[edit] History
[edit] The Castle
The Castle at Bishop's Castle was originally a motte and bailey design built in 1087 to defend the church and village from the Welsh, grid reference SO323891. The castle has been under attack several times, most noticeably in 1263 when John Fritz Alan, Lord of Oswestry and Clun, held it under siege and caused significant damage, the damage was estimated at 1,060 marks.
In 1557 the castle was described as thirteen rooms covered with lead, a tower on the outer wall on the eastern side containing a stable, and two rooms covered with tiles. There were two other rooms called 'le new buyldinge' situate on the outer wall between the building over the gate and the tower called 'le prison tower'. There was also a dovecote, a garden, a forest and a park.
In 1618 the castle started to deteriorate and in the 1700s the Keep and surroundings were flattened to make a bowling green, and in 1719 The Castle Hotel was built on the site of the outer bailey. (Some historians believe that the houses along Market Sq and Castle Street were built on the foundations on an outer wall due to the curvature of the houses).
All that's physically left of the castle now is a 10m long, coursed stone wall on the west side of the castle site which is 2m thick and 3 m high, It was overgrown with ivy and was recently renovated too keep it safe and stable.
[edit] The Town
The layout of the town in the present day shows that originally the town was made up of 46 burgage plots which were separated by a few small lanes which have developed to be Church Street, Union Street and Station Street.
In 1249 a Royal Charter for a weekly market and an annual fair was granted, they are both still very popular with a Friday market in the town hall and a May fair in the playing fields.
The town hall was built in the 1600s as a new administrative centre, a court and possibly a prison.
Bishop's Castle has been on a main route for travellers since prehistoric times. The inns would have provided accommodation for travellers and have stabled their horses. Bishops Castle had a railway between 1865 and 1935, originally it was meant to go from Craven Arms to Montgomery although it never made it that far as the money ran out. Sections of the old railway can still be seen today including some of the embankments, brides and stations.
The town was bypassed in the 19th century by Thomas Telford's great road further north, which ran through Shrewsbury. A branch railway was later built from Craven Arms to Bishop's Castle, but closed in 1935.
The town was classified as a municipal borough in 1885. It lost this status in the 1960s, but still has a mayor and its regalia.
The church of St John the Baptist lies at the lower end of the town and the remains of the castle at the upper end. Between the two runs Church Street and the High Street.
| Unitary authorities: | Telford and Wrekin |
| Boroughs/Districts: | Bridgnorth • North Shropshire • Oswestry • Shrewsbury and Atcham • South Shropshire |
| Cities/Towns: | Bishop's Castle • Bridgnorth • Broseley • Church Stretton • Cleobury Mortimer • Clun • Craven Arms • Dawley • Ellesmere • Ludlow • Madeley • Market Drayton • Much Wenlock • Newport • Oakengates • Oswestry • Shifnal • Shrewsbury • Telford • Wellington • Wem • Whitchurch See also: List of civil parishes in Shropshire |
[edit] External links
- Shropshire Tourism The official tourism website for Shropshire
- BC Online
- Bishop's Castle Photos
- Images of Bishop's Castle on Shropshire Gallery
- [1] Bishop's Castle Railway
- [2] Bishops Castle Cricket Club
