WEDDINGTON CASTLE - An Online History
Other Halls and Castles Around Nuneaton - Tamworth Castle
Tamworth Castle is a large motte and bailey
castle built in the Norman period. The mott
e
remains but the bailey has gone. The castle is situated near the intersection of
the Tame and Anker rivers. Originally a wooden tower was built on the motte (shortly
after the Norman Conquest of 1066)
but this has been replaced by a multi-sided stone
shell-keep. Part of the bailey wall exists and a path on top of it leads up the
motte to the castle entrance. The wall is a good example of herring-bone stone
work. The early Norman buildings inside the castle have been replaced by brick
over the many years that the castle has been lived in. Robert Despencer was
first granted the lands of Tamworth by William I shortly after the Conquest.
When he died in around 1114 the lands were passed to Robert de Marmion who may
have married Despencer's daughter or niece.
The walls
of the shell-keep are about seven feet thick and have enough room inside them
for staircases. These sandstone walls and superb herringbone wall - all
that survives of the "curtain wall" of the bailey - are believed to date from
the 1180s.
Numerous additions and alterations have been made to the castle by succeeding
generations of owners. Until in the late 1890's, Marquis Townshend decided to
sell the Castle by auction. Tamworth Corporation purchased it to mark Queen
Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The purchase price of £3000 was later raised
by public subscription and the Castle was formally opened and dedicated to the
public two years later.
There is an excellent website, maintained by 'The Friends of Tamworth Castle', which features a full history, photo gallery and interactive map. This can be accessed by clicking the link below:
www.tamworthcastle.freeserve.co.uk/opening.htm
