Recently we were out on the motorbike exploring the welsh boarders and came across a treasure trove of preserved medieval history in the form of castles, fortified houses & medieval towns in a small triangle of about a 15 miles. Our regular destination of Ludlow has provided a great starting point for us to investigate these numerous remains and so, once a month I will be doing a write up on these local Medieval sites. The series will be called Castle of the Month!
This month we wondered into the vast hills of Shropshire past Ludlow, itself a beautiful Medieval town and which I will be covering in this series at a later date. Clun is a small village, about 15 miles from Ludlow and is embedded in what is still referred to as the Welsh Marches.
Although today it is masked by some more recent developments, Clun Castle is situated on an impressive mound and in 12thC it would have dominated its landscape by the River Clun. The Castle was constructed by the Norman, Robert de Say, around 1140-50 according to Lise Hull for Castles of Wales Website – www.castlewales.com
‘In the early 12thC is became part of the Marcher lordship known as the Honour of Clun to the Norman invasion in 1066, William the Conqueror granted extensive parcels of land along the borders to many of his most prized subjects. These men became Marcher Lords, with the right to build castles and rule their lands as if they themselves were kings. The Marcher Lords still owed allegiance to the English monarch, but had the freedom to administer their feudal estates as they saw fit, much to the displeasure of their Welsh vassals’
The site had been chosen for its obvious defensive advantages, with the presence of a natural rocky mound that must have easily served as the motte for protection. Typically the castle would have been originally built with timber defenses, but, was at some later point upgraded to stone in the usual Normal style.
In 1196, according to Lise Hull;
‘Clun Castle was besieged and burned by the Welsh, under the leadership of the great Lord Rhys in 1196. However, it became the property of the prestigious Fitzalan family, who modified the structure into its present form (sans ruins!) and is responsible for the establishment of the associated village. The Fitzalans, lords of Clun and Oswestry, are better known as the Earls of Arundel, builders of mighty Arundel Castle in Southern England. Arundel is now the home of the Dukes of Norfolk, but many of the Fitzalans are interred in the adjacent chapel. While Clun Castle pales in comparison to the Fitzalan's fortress at Arundel, it is a marvelous example of a Marcher castle, intended to keep the unruly Welsh under Norman control’
On approaching the site the visitor can read several information points before crossing the footbridge over the River to begin the steep climb up the imposing mound. (There is a more flat entrance round the side of the Castle mound through a side street for those who need easier access.)
Although now ruined with only the vestiges of the once formidable Baileys and Keep remaining, the towering impression of this seemingly impenetrable 80ft structure are still dramatic. A four-storied keep, with two floors below the summit of the motte and two others rising above the motte, with arched Norman windows, gives the impression of an organised and high status life, however desolate the positioning of the castle may seem.
The remnants of the curtain wall are still visible today at Clun, dated to around the late 12th or early 13thC. This stone structure would have replaced earlier timber edifices. Two round towers have also survived however; access is now limited due to the instability of the delicate masonry.
On the whole I would say that Clun Castle is defiantly worth your exploration. Although at the moment the Keep is under scaffolding for repair and conservation, it is still an atmospheric place and once at the top, the views across Shropshire and into Wales are breathtaking, evoking images of what life and war in this important Norman stronghold must have been like. Its predominance in the local flat landscape must have seemed severe to the small Welsh community who were overpowered by the Normans and ruled over thereafter.
Clun as a village is lovely and welcoming with a very friendly tea shop by the bridge of the River Clun, offering fine views of the castle and warm tea cakes too! The drive through the landscape to get to Clun is in itself worth the trip and the Castle and surrounds are completely free, but for more information on Clun please visit the English Heretidge website;
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/clun-castle/
See also:
http://www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/castles/clun/
http://www.castlewales.com/clun.html
http://www.clun.org.uk/castle.htm
clun.......castle.
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