Eccleshall Castle

Eccleshall Castle is a significant building largely dating from around 1695, when it was rebuilt by Bishop Lloyd. It had previously served as a manor place for the Bishops of Lichfield for many centuries. The structure incorporates remnants of a 14th-century building that was mostly destroyed during the Civil War. The windows and interior were updated in the late 18th century. The castle is constructed of stone with a hipped tile roof and stone stacks, and it has two storeys with sash windows, flat stone string-courses, and a moulded stone eaves cornice. The main facade features a three-window projecting wing on either side, each with a moulded wood pilaster doorcase, triglyph frieze, and modillion cornice. The east elevation has twelve windows, while the south elevation has nine. There are later brick additions at the rear, which include sandstone rubble fragments from the 14th-century building. Inside, the castle boasts a fine late 18th-century moulded plaster ceiling in the large Drawing Room, along with contemporary doorcases and attractive fireplaces in the two Drawing Rooms. The castle is set back from the road in extensive grounds.