Shrewsbury Castle
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| Shrewsbury Castle | |
 Shrewsbury Castle viewed from Laura's Tower. |
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  Shown within Shropshire
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| Building information | |
|---|---|
| Town | Shrewsbury, Shropshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Client | Roger de Montgomery |
| Style | Red sandstone castle |
Shrewsbury Castle is a red sandstone castle in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Its location is on a hill situated on the neck of the meander of the River Severn which the town originally grew up in. It was therefore built as a defensive fortification for the town, which was otherwise protected by the river. Town walls, of which little now remains, then radiated out from the castle and surrounded the town (although the area known now as Town Walls still has a small section of it and a tower known as Town Walls Tower and in the care of the National Trust). The castle is situated directly above Shrewsbury railway station.
The Shropshire Horticultural Society bought the castle and gave it to the town in 1924. It is currently owned by Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council and houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum. Until 1981, borough council meetings, where the full council would be present, used the castle's hall. Meetings later moved to Oakley Manor in Belle Vue, and then to the Guildhall in Frankwell.
Laura's Tower is a good vantage point and looks over the surrounding townscape and further out to the countryside. Entry to the regimental museum at the castle is free for residents of the borough, or £2 for non-residents. Anyone can climb Laura's Tower for free. Marriages also take place here and the castle grounds are used sometimes for plays, which have included the Canterbury Tales, among others.
The museum was attacked by the IRA in 1992 and extensive damage to the collection and to some of the Castle resulted. It re-opened in 1995. The castle is currently undergoing some restoration, which is needed as the sandstone building material is soft and quickly erodes.
[edit] See also
- History of Shrewsbury
- King's Shropshire Light Infantry
- Ludlow Castle, another English Marches stronghold
[edit] External links
