TAMWORTH CASTLE

Staffordshire

Without a doubt the best Castle in Staffordshire, Tamworth is a handsome building, well preserved and very well presented.

Tamworth town was the capital of King Offa's Mercia and was fortified by Alfred the Great's daughter Ethelfleda and (along with Warwick) her name is often associated with the motte, although this is entirely untrue.

The Castle was almost certainly started by Robert de Marmion late in the 11th century.  By 1294 the Castle had passed from the Marmions to the Frevilles, along with their title of King's Champion.  By this time the Castle was in much the form it is today.  Of the extensive curtain walls and towers little remains, but the shell keep on top of the motte is in superb condition and dates to around 1100, or slightly later.  The profile of the Castle, though, has been much altered by restored battlements and a Jacobean lodge over the gatehouse.

The Castle escaped the ravages of the Civil War because by that time the keep was crammed full of residential buildings and was considered completely indefensible.  This has allowed it to survive to today in all its splendour.  Most of the interior buildings were constructed by the de Ferrers who lived here between 1423 and 1688.

The Castle stands in a public park and is one of central England's top tourist attractions - rightly so, for even though its history is unremarkable, it is beautifully preserved and is presented better than almost any other Castle in England.

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2002