Shrewsbury Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Pengwern

In the civil parish of Shrewsbury.
In the historic county of Shropshire (Modern Authority of Shropshire, 1974 county of Shropshire).

The castle originated as a motte and bailey allegedly in the late C11built by Roger de Montgomery. It is possible that this itself replaced an earlier Saxon fortification. A stone castle with a great hall and towers was built circa 1300 by Edward .The castle was altered and added to during Civil War. In 1780-90 Telford made further alterations and restoration work was also made by Sir Charles Nicholson in 1926.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 455424)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ49441281

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 68045

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/shrwsbry.html
    http://www.shropshiretourism.info/castles/shrewsbury/
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern) p70-4
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p476
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p216
    Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p52-5
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p430
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p298
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p311
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p834-37
    Pevsner, N., 1958, The Buildings of England: Shropshire (London, Penguin) p265-6
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p134
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p207-9
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wall [after Downham], 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Shropshire Vol1 p310, 398-9 [plan]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p152-4
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p544-6
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p366
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol252
• Journal Articles
  • Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p310
    Barker, P.A., 1981, Archaeological Journal Vol138 p42
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    1964, Château Gaillard Vol1 p130
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    1962, Architectural History Vol5 p55, 147
    Radford, C.A.Ralegh, 1957-8, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society Vol56 p15-20
    Beaumont, 1956, Archaeological Journal Vol113 p191
    Chitty, Lily, 1949, 'Subsidiary Castle Sites West of Shrewsbury' Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society Vol53 p83-90
    Morris, J.A., 1937-8, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol49 p97-118
    (Nicholson), 1926, The Builder Vol130 p229-31 [plan of alterations, etc.]
    Forrest HE., 1920-26, Transactions of the Caradoc and Severn Valley Field Club Vol7 p206-7
    1910, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol10 p100
    1905, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol5 p259-64
    1892, Shropshire Notes and Queries (reprinted from The Shrewsbury Chronicle) Vol1 p9
    1888, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol1 p186, 405
    1788, Gentlemans Magazine Vol58 pt2 p765-6
• Guidebooks
  • Morris, J.A., n.d. c.1938, (Shrewsbury) [leaflet guide]
    Forrest, 1924, Story of Shrewsbury Castle
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Giraldus Cambrensis, c.1183, Description of Wales [http://www.building-history.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Primary/Gerald.htm]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities26.htm]
    William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/shropseng.html#shrops12]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p389, 396
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol2 p82