Scheduled MonumentsEnglandStokesay Castle

Stokesay Castle

England
List entry 1003011
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003011
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
9.85 hectares
Grid reference
SO4352381606
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Stokesay Castle is a fortified manor house located near Craven Arms in Shropshire, dating primarily to the late 13th century. The castle was begun by Laurence of Ludlow, a prosperous wool merchant, around 1285, and represents one of the finest examples of a medieval fortified residence rather than a true castle of military design. The structure comprises a central great hall with cross wings, a substantial gatehouse of 17th-century date, and surrounding crenellated walls and towers that display characteristics of both defensive necessity and domestic comfort. The castle has remained substantially intact since its construction, preserving important evidence of late medieval domestic architecture and the domestic aspirations of a wealthy merchant class during the later Middle Ages.

Stokesay Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003011. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Stokesay Castle?

Stokesay Castle is a fortified manor house located near Craven Arms in Shropshire, dating primarily to the late 13th century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003011.

Who is responsible for protecting Stokesay Castle?

Stokesay 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 1003011.

What other scheduled monuments are near Stokesay Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Church of St Giles, Downton on the Rock (8.2 km), Slight univallate hillfort 80m east of Old Downton Cottage. (8.5 km), Roman fort (9.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Stokesay Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Stokesay Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Stokesay Castle report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Stokesay Castle

Stokesay Castle stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.