Clun Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Clun Castle stands above the small town of the same name, in the hills of south-west Shropshire, on the banks of the River Clun. Founded at the end of the 11th century by the Norman knight Picot de Say to hold the border with Wales, it was for some four centuries the seat of the barony of Clun, in the hands of the powerful FitzAlan family. Its silhouette is dominated by a great tower of about 28 metres, built around 1300 against the north side of the motte. Rather than a defensive keep, it is a prestigious residence on several levels, whose upper floor housed the most refined rooms. Around it, extensive earthworks mark out several baileys, and on the opposite bank survive the traces of a medieval pleasure garden with fishponds and a moated enclosure, rare witnesses to late medieval gardens. After the FitzAlans moved their seat to Arundel, Clun became a hunting lodge linked to the lordship's forest, before being described as ruinous by Leland around 1539. Today managed by English Heritage, the ruin is open free of charge all year round and offers a wide view over the town with its medieval grid plan.