- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1070 · 11th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Commissioned by
- Ansculf de Picquigny
- Coordinates
- 52.5146°, -2.0796°
History
The first timber castle on a motte was raised around 1070 by the Norman Ansculf de Picquigny, and in 1086 Domesday Book recorded it as held by his son William. The Paganel family later built a stone castle here, which withstood a siege by King Stephen's forces in 1138, but after Gervase Paganel joined the rebellion against Henry II in 1173 the king had it demolished. From 1262 Roger de Somery rebuilt the castle, adding the keep on the motte and the main gatehouse, and the work went on into the early 14th century. Around 1540 John Dudley, later Duke of Northumberland, added a residential range within the walls designed by William Sharington, an early sign of Italian Renaissance influence in the region. In the Civil War the Royalist garrison surrendered on 13 May 1646, and Parliament ordered the defences pulled down; in July 1750 a fire gutted the living quarters. In 1937 a zoo opened in the castle grounds.
What to see
The ruins are reached through Dudley Zoo, which occupies the whole castle hill. On the motte stands the north wall of the keep with the remains of two round towers, where two Russian cannon captured in the Crimean War were mounted in 1857. Also surviving are the main gatehouse with its barbican, the ruins of the Sharington range with its great hall and kitchen, a stable block built before 1700 and an Elizabethan gateway with a round watch tower. Some of the masonry needs repair, and in 2020 the castle was added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk register. A visitor centre opened by Elizabeth II in 1994 tells the story of the castle.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q5311832
Popularity: articles about this site in 11 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).