Acton Burnell Castle (Shropshire)

Introduction

Acton Burnell Castle is a 13th century fortified manor house, built between 1284-93 by Bishop Burnell, Edward I's Lord Chancellor. It is believed that the first Parliament of England at which the Commons were fully represented was held here in 1283. Today all that remains is the outer shell of the manor house and the gable ends of the barn. This site is maintained by English Heritage.

History to the present day

The castle’s location was important when built in the 13th century because it was near the Old Roman road (Watling Street). Defence was never a major goal of the building, the structure started out as a manor house, then a fortified manor house and then finally because of licence became a castle.

A fortified building required a licence from the King and because Burnell was a friend and an advisor to King Edward I, this was not a problem. The timber for the structure even came from the King’s royal forests.

The building was 3 stories high, affording good views of the countryside and grounds. There was a hall, solar (private areas for the lord and family), bedrooms, offices, chapel and kitchen. To those who have studied the building, the curious thing is that studies have not uncovered evidence of a large fireplace which would have been commonplace in this type of dwelling.

Arrival information and how to find us

Open all year round at any reasonable time.

The Castle is in the small village of Acton Burnell, signposted from the A49, 8 miles south of Shrewsbury. on the edge of fields which were once Burnell’s parkland and deer park. Entry to the grounds is by an ancient yew-lined path.