Red Castle

WESTON-UNDER- HAWKSTONE PARK SJ 5629-5729 REDCASTLE C.P. 16/181 Red Castle - 28.10.60 GV II Castle, remains of. Begun 1227 for Henry de Audley, Sheriff of Shropshire and Staffordshire with romantic additions of C18. Regularly coursed and dressed red sandstone; now roofless. Situated on 2 narrow ridges of rock with a deep ravine between, separated into upper and lower wards by a deep rock-cut ditch running at right-angles across ravine. Apart from the Great Tower and a smaller turret at north-east corner, only fragments of towers and curtain wall survive. Great Tower: still stands to considerable height: circular plan with chamfered plinth to bottom and rectangular slits to tower. Deep well beneath, hollowed out of sandstone as is bottom part of tower, approached by adit created c.1780. The height of the tower was increased by either Sir Rowland or Sir Richard Hill in late C18 to make it a more conspicuous object in the view from Grotto Hill (q.v. under Grotto), but it has again been reduced and what now survives (March 1986) appears to be largely medieval work. North-east tower: only a fragment of small circular tower survives. 2 similar towers formerly guarded south-east and south- west angles of lower ward but the former has now almost completely disappeared above ground and the latter is very fragmentary. Traces of curtain wall on ridges to east and west with more substantial fragment spanning ditch between upper and lower wards on west. The Lion's Den (q.v.) is in the corresponding position to east. The site is very overgrown and apparently has never been systematically investigated, making it difficult to distinguish between medieval work and C18 'romantic' additions. The natural defences are very impressive, probably never needing much strengthening except on south, and can be compared with those at Heighley Castle (Staffs) (q.v. under Madeley C.P., Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme), also begun by Henry de Audley. Scheduled Ancient Monument, County No. 15; B.O.E. p.146; V.C.H. Vol. I (1908) p.410; C.L. (July 3, 1958) pp.20-21.

Listing NGR: SJ5722429414