Heighley Castle

Heighley Castle is a medieval castle, primarily dating from the early 13th century, located in Madeley, Shropshire. Only fragments of the original walls remain, constructed from dressed sandstone and uncoursed rubble, with some facing removed. Traces of the curtain wall can be found around the site, best preserved on the lower south end of the motte platform, where there is a section of retaining wall made of dressed stone, approximately 8 meters high and 15 meters long, along with a small fragment that may be the remains of a tower. Another substantial piece of walling, about 6 meters high and 5 meters long, is located to the north-west.

The main entrance appears to have been on the west side, where a well-preserved, partly stone crevetted causeway crosses a deep rock-cut ditch. An unauthorized excavation in the summer of 1984 near the curtain wall on the south-east revealed a dressed stone wall, likely part of an entrance, featuring the corbelled springing of a vault. Although a well is marked on the Ordnance Survey map, no trace of it remains today.

The castle is set on a steep-sided, oval-shaped motte, surrounded on all sides by a deep rock-cut ditch, except on the south-east where the defenses rely on the natural slope. Heighley Castle was begun by Henry de Audley in 1233 and is situated in a spectacular location, offering extensive views over the surrounding countryside. At the time of the re-survey in 1984, the ruins were overgrown. The site is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.