What is recorded here

Stokesay Castle is a walled, moated manor house built around 1285 by the wool merchant Laurence of Ludlow, and it still stands with its medieval hall, towers and gatehouse largely unchanged. It was never meant to be a great warcastle; it was meant to be a rich man’s secure home that looked like one. During the English Civil War, Royalist owners held out, Parliament forced surrender, and the walls were only slightly damaged, which is why so much of the original building survives. The castle has been abandoned, restored, rented for farming, displayed to tourists and finally placed under English Heritage, but the strange core remains the same: a merchant’s proud house dressed in the language of kings.

The National Heritage List for England records Stokesay Castle as a scheduled monument. The saved point comes from the centre supplied by the official record. Listing does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Stokesay Castle was built in the late 13th century by Laurence of Ludlow, a wealthy wool merchant, and later held by his son Adam. It is important as a well-preserved example of a medieval fortified manor house and is now a Grade I listed building managed by English Heritage.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.