Snodhill Castle Has Been Saved!

Snodhill Castle in Herefordshire, thought to be one of the earliest in the chain of castles built in the Dore Valley during the 11th century is to open to the public from Saturday 5 May, 2018 following a four year restoration project.

Snodhill Castle has been on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register since 1998 and is protected as a Scheduled Monument. Decades of neglect saw sections of the castle's walls collapse and the castle itself lost from view and completely inaccessible due to uncontrolled growth of brambles and scrub. 

Historic England provided nearly £650,000 towards Snodhill Castle's rescue which has included: stopping the walls crumbling, repairing the structure, clearing dangerous trees and installing fencing so it was safe for grazing in surrounding farmland, and setting up the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust. Historic England has also supplied expert advice, engineering and archaeological support in order to increase understanding of this magnificent site.

Left to crumble for many years it had become, in the words of Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust Chair Gary Crook, a 'castle of puzzles'. No one knows who built the Castle or why. Now that the conservation work on the site is complete, research can begin on unlocking that mystery.

Ownership of the castle was transferred to the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust in 2016, thanks to intervention from Historic England. Volunteers from the Trust, with help from Historic England, cleared vegetation on the site so repairs could take place.

Hereford Archaeology recorded discoveries as they were made on the site and Historic England's Investigation Team carried out research to inform future archaeological investigation of the castle. More information on this research is available on Historic England's web site.