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Shrewsbury Castle looking West by Micolo J
Shrewsbury Castle looking West by Micolo J

Shrewsbury Castle, Shropshire

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, with an interesting history and interesting buildings to go along with it. The Shrewsbury Castle promised to be one of these interesting buildings: King Stephen lay siegeA military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling those inside to surrender. to it in 1135, and it was briefly held by the Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth in 1215. It was built on the original Anglo-Saxon site, and then expanded and rebuilt with stone during the Middle Ages, although little of its original structure remains. The building now houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum, which is said to contain items from the 1700s to the present.

Sadly, all of the information I have on the castle has been taken from the internet, as the castle is entirely subsumedIncluded or absorbed into something else. by the museum it contains. As such, it is very difficult to glean any sense of history from the building itself, which is small, inaccessible, and by no means the best example of a castle from that era. This lack of atmosphere probably wasn’t helped by a wedding happening onsite, and I’m sure the wedding party weren’t happy about having random visitors wandering in and out of wedding photos.

So, with the building lacking, that leaves us with the museum. Unfortunately, it was even more underwhelming than the castle, with most of the exhibits consisting of silverware and medals bequeathed to the museum. Being a regimental museum, one could expect it to be reasonably gung-ho, but there wasn’t even enough information or commentary for this to have been done well. Nothing was interactive, and there was nothing to entertain children of any age. Considering the year of visit (2014), something could have been made of the centenary of the First World War, but this opportunity was also by-and-large missed. The museum mainly serves as a focal point for veterans of the regiment, and is not particularly relevant to any other visitor. It did contain a small shop, and there were toilets, but there was no access for pushchairs or for those not particularly mobile. It was only a small fee for entry, but I still felt it didn’t represent value for money (although entry to the grounds is free, and could be worth an amble during a visit to Shrewsbury, but not as a reason for that visit).

To find out more about Shrewsbury Castle, click here.

Author Info

Debbie Kilroy

Having read history at the University of Birmingham as an undergraduate, where I won the Kenrick Prize, I worked as a trouble-shooter in the public sector until I took a career break in 2009. Thereafter, I was able to pursue my love of history and turn it into a career, founding Get History in 2014 with the aim of bringing accessible yet high quality history-telling and debate to a wide audience. Since then, I have completed a Masters in Historical Studies at the University of Oxford, from which I received a distinction and the Kellogg College Community Engagement and Impact Award. As well as continuing to write for and expand Get History, I am now a freelance writer and historian. I have worked with Histories of the Unexpected and Inside History, and my article for Parliaments, Estates and Representation won the ICHRPI Emile Lousse essay prize (2019).

More Information
Shrewsbury Castle, Shropshire
Shrewsbury Castle, Shropshire
1.2
out of 10

Importance

1/10

Information and collections

1/10

Child friendly/fun factor

1/10

Presentation

1/10

Value for money

2/10

Pros

  • +Cheap entry price
  • +Interesting if you're connected to the Shropshire regiment

Cons

  • -Dull presentation
  • -Poor value for money
  • -Little to see or do
  • -Terrible access
More Information