A trip to Shropshire

For our first holiday since  COVID  struck we decided to stay within the UK and opted for the Church Stretton area of Shropshire.  With the restrictions being relaxed it was possible for the whole family to get together, so we hired a large 'cottage'.  We had a very busy week and I think everyone could say that their interests were catered for.  For the readers of this blog the items of interest were :

Stokesay Castle

Not actually a castle, but a medieval fortified manor house.  A fascinating place to visit.  The majority of the structure you see today dates from the late 13thC when it was constructed for a wealthy local wool merchant, Laurence of Ludlow.

The North Tower from the churchyard

The building was never intended to withstand a serious siege, but to deter any marauding bands of robbers.

The North Tower from the moat

The Great Hall, Solar and South Tower

In the mid 17thC the original gatehouse was replaced by a timber and plaster construction, similar to many 17thC houses in Ludlow.

The Gatehouse

Acton Burnell Castle

Contemporary to Stokesay, Acton Burnell was built by Robert Burnell, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Edward I.  The design is similar to that of the keeps of major castles, but the function of Acton Burnell was more to do with prestige and entertaining guests, than operating as a centre for projecting  military power.  On the ground floor were store rooms and in the north east corner, a porch and grand staircase led important guests up to the great hall.

Exterior view

In the early 15thC the castle passed to the Lovell family of Oxfordshire and into the hands of Henry VII after Bosworth.   It was acquired by the Duke of Norfolk in the early 16thC and by the mid 18thC had become merely a barn.

Interior view

So, two 13th C castles, neither fitting the usual mould of what a castle should look like, but both interesting in their own way.

Shropshire Regimental Museum

Housed in Shrewsbury Castle, the museum collection covers all the military units associated with the county, starting with the 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment and the 85th King's Light Infantry, both raised for the Seven Years War.  These were amalgamated in the 1881 Cardwell reforms into the King's Shropshire Light Infantry.  In addition there are uniforms and artifacts for the county's militia nd volunteer units.   Although fairly small, the museum is worth visiting.

Replicas of the uniform worn by the 53rd in the AWI, presented to the museum by a US re-enactment society.

The Elphinstone Colours, survivors from the AWI

As you can imagine, being part of the Welsh Marches, there are plenty of castles and other historical sites to visit in this part of the world.  If you get the chance, it is well worth a visit.