Stokesay Castle

From time to time I've enjoyed photos of a place which has a timber framed building perched up on top of a high stone one [see first photo for what I'm trying to describe]. I've been admiring these images for years, but never knew what it was called or where it was located. Thankfully that all changed for me earlier this year when I finally discovered it was Stokesay Castle and it was in Shropshire. I noted it in my diary to remind me to see how far it was from our holiday cottage. A mere seven miles.....first day's shenanigans sorted then!

The Domesday book records there being a manor here up near the Welsh borders, but it's an incredibly wealthy woolmerchant, Laurence of Ludlow, who first steps into the records as the first named buyer of it in 1281. He invested a great deal of money improving and building exactly what he wanted. His standing in society is shown by Edward I's granting him permission in 1291 to crenellate his house and thus giving the impression that it had always been a bona fide castle. Actually the cruel truth would have been that had it needed to have been defended it would have fallen very easily. Fortunately time and its enemies have been kind to it...little actual structural damage has been caused so we are lucky to be able to view many of the original details which have been lost elsewhere. Sadly Laurence didn't live long to enjoy his home as he drowned in 1294. It remained in his family until the line died out in 1498 when it passed to the Vernon family through the female line. As fortunes ebbed and flowed Stokesay was sold on until eventually it ended up in a very sorry condition being let out to a series of tenant farmers. Fortuntately it ended up in the ownership of John Derby Allcroft, a succesful London glove manufacturer, who realised its importance and had it completely restored. Ultimately the family were unable to meet the spiralling costs and came to an agreement with English Heritage that they would maintain it and then take it over completely upon the death of the final occupant, Jewell Magnus-Allcroft when she died in 1992. Righty-ho that's the history lesson over let's get on with the details shall we😀 

This is the incredible 13th century great hall. It has a cruck roof to die for and an extraordinary flight of stairs which are contemporary and made from whole tree trunks. I don't think that I've ever climbed wooden ones [plenty of stone ones yes] of such an age. There are lots of rooms off the upper floor in which there were masses of barn swallows [please correct me if the id is wrong swooping in through the unglazed windows. PS. Probably a housemartin.

The slightly later tower [still trying to convince everyone it's a castle] and within the solar block an exceptional 17th century overmantle. There are still a few traces of colour left on it, but I've included a drawing of what it would have looked like back in the day. Quite lairy when seen next to the current fashion for the fifty shades of grey interior decor many are favouring right now [each to their own].

The saffron coloured timber building is a later addition put in by the first Lord Craven, William, son of Dame Elizabeth Craven. It's covered in a magical mix of carvings, but I am being restrained and only showing you a single example. 

Although the weather was grey and damp, the borders still looked so pretty. I have completely fallen for this pale blue geranium and I am hoping we can add it to our back garden next year once I've tracked it down.

 Sometimes I find carting round those devices which give you an ongoing commentary a bit irksome, but here it was wonderful and really added to my understanding of what I was seeing and experiencing.

Arilx