| HER Number (PRN): | 62505 |
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| Name: | Shrewsbury Castle, tower on motte top (the watch tower) |
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| Type of Record: | Monument |
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| Protected Status: | Conservation Area: Shrewsbury |
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| Listed Building (I) 1246877: SHREWSBURY CASTLE |
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| Listed Building (II) 1246559: LAURA'S TOWER |
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| Scheduled Monument 1003706: Title not entered |
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Monument Type(s):
- TOWER (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
- WATCH TOWER (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
Summary
Scheduled Monument and Listed Building: The base of a circular tower, part of the medieval castle, believed to have been demolished by Thomas Telford to enable the construction of Laura's tower, from the base of which its remains project.
| Parish: | Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Shropshire |
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| Map Sheet: | SJ41SE |
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| Grid Reference: | SJ 4948 1281 |
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Related records
| 10129 | Parent of: Lauras Tower, Castle Gates, Shrewsbury (Building) |
| 62504 | Part of: Shrewsbury Castle motte (Monument) |
Associated Finds: None recorded
Associated Events
- ESA7889 - 2001 DBA and building survey of Shrewsbury Castle by Richard K Morriss
Description
Base of circular tower projecting from the base of the east side of Laura's Tower. Sandstone construction, chamfered plinth. Not mentioned in either J A Morris's or Radford's accounts of the castle (see PRN 01097). Not examined closely for UAD. It appears to be the base of a tower that appears (generally in the background) in numerous 18th-century engravings of the castle, and is shown prominently on the Burghley Map c.1575. The tower is most likely to have been demolished by Telford, for Laura's Tower, when the latter was built c.1790 <1>
Discussed in a desk-based assessment of the Castle in 2001, undertaken in association with the preparation of a conservation plan. Projecting from, and probably contemporary with, the easten wall at the top of the motte is the base of a small semicircular tower or bastion. It seems likely that this is the remains of a feature shown on several late 18th century illustrations that predated the construction of Laura's Tower (PRN 10129), which occupies part of its footprint. It is considered likely that it forms part of a small round watchtower built sometime after the partial collapse of the motte and the loss of the earlier keep, in the late 13th century, although altered subsequently. The tower was pulled down in 1790 by Telford to make way for Laura's Tower, but the entire footings probably survive under that later structure. <2>
Briefly discussed, with reproduction of several illustrations - see particularly plates 32 and 33. The footings and eastern retaining wall of the 13th century watch tower are photographed (plate 34). <3>
Sources
| [01] | SSA20432 - HER comment: Baker Nigel J. UAD Analysis. 16/06/1997. |
| [02] | SSA28884 - Deskbased survey report: Morriss Richard K. 2001. Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire: an archaeological and architectural analysis. Mercian Heritage Series. 140. p.71. |
| [03] | SSA31789 - Excavation report: Baker Nigel J. 2021. An excavation on the western rampart of Shrewsbury Castle, 2020. Nigel Baker Rep. |
| Date Last Edited: | Jul 7 2021 11:51AM |
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