England · Still standing
Eccleshall Castle
Eccleshall Castle in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, originated as a 13th-century episcopal stronghold and was enlarged in the early 14th century. It was slighted in the Civil War but partly re-used and in 1693 a new bishop's house was built among the medieval fragments. The site remains a private residence and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade II* listed building.
Its prime
1693
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1693
What Eccleshall Castle looked like in its prime.
A late 17th-century bishop’s house set within and against the surviving fabric of a medieval castle: compact stone residence with pitched roofs and multiple chimneys abutting irregular medieval masonry. A pronounced, unusual nine-sided stone tower rises from a corner of the older curtain wall. A water-filled moat and a medieval stone bridge cross to the entrance; stretches of low curtain wall and masonry fragments encircle the house, showing a visible seam between older medieval stonework and later 17th-century building fabric.
Its story
The story of Eccleshall Castle.
Eccleshall Castle was a stronghold of bishops: the land was reputedly granted to St Chad, the medieval bishop of Lichfield, and in 1200 Bishop Geoffrey de Muschamp was granted a licence to crenellate by King John. In the Civil War the attackers' guns caused considerable damage to the walls, but the castle held out, with Bishop Robert Wright sheltering within.
The castle was slighted to prevent future use as a stronghold, though enough survived, including an unusual nine-sided tower, the moat walls and the medieval bridge, to be used as a prison for Royalist gentry. Confiscated and sold, it was bought back by the diocese, and in 1693 a new bishop's house was built among the medieval fragments. It remains a private residence, home of the Carter-Motley family for more than a hundred years, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade II* listed building.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1693.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Eccleshall Castle, including 1 interior: tower interior / prison cell. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Recreate Eccleshall Castle with AI to explore it.
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Clans who held Eccleshall Castle.
The families that held Eccleshall Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Carter-Motley
The castle has been the home of the Carter-Motley family for more than a hundred years.
Nearby
