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Goodrich Castle is a medieval fortress situated on a prominent sandstone outcrop above the River Wye in Herefordshire, commanding an important crossing point between England and Wales. The castle was established in the early 12th century, with the distinctive red sandstone keep constructed around 1160, and was substantially fortified and expanded during the 13th and 14th centuries with the addition of curtain walls, towers, and outer defences. The site preserves significant remains of its medieval military architecture, including a well-preserved square keep, polygonal corner towers, and substantial sections of the curtain wall that once enclosed the residential and defensive quarters. As a frontier castle, Goodrich played a strategically important role throughout the medieval period in controlling movement across the Anglo-Welsh border, and was slighted during the English Civil War to render it militarily ineffective.
Goodrich Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1014904. View the official record →
Goodrich Castle is a medieval fortress situated on a prominent sandstone outcrop above the River Wye in Herefordshire, commanding an important crossing point between England and Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1014904.
Goodrich Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1014904.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Merlin's Cave, Great Doward (5.2 km), King Arthur's Cave, Great Doward (5.4 km), Little Hadnock Roman Villa, Dixton Newtown (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Goodrich Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Goodrich Castle stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.