Shrewsbury Castle The walkway up to the castle doors are surrounded by beautiful gardens together with old style buildings. Shrewsbury Castle stands on the narrowest point where the bends of the River Severn almost meet. Thus in times gone by it commanded an inpressive point overlooking most land access to the town itself. Only the bridges allowed other access. The castle goes back to 1074 when Rodger de Montgomery built a motte and bailey castle on the site of earlier fortifications. The castle itself is much changed from the times of Brother Cadfael. In the 1780s the architect and engineer Thomas Telford changed the design of the castle. It is thought that by Brother Cadfaels time, the castle would have been rebuilt in stone. Following a rebellion by Roger de Montgomery’s son Robert de Bellême in 1100 the castle became a royal fortress and was strengthened by Henry I. Empress Maude ran the castle for a while but was ousted by King Stephen after a short siege in 1138 (One Corpse Too Many). Between 1272 and 1307 the great hall of the castle was built. Later, during the English Civil war, the castle was held first by King Charles I (1642) then later the Parliamentarians in 1645. Nowadys the castle is the home of The Shropshire Regimental Museum.

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