Return to Herefordshire - Part 1: Richard's Castle

 

E was on holiday last week and wanted to go to Herefordshire for a few days.

Timothy looking forward to returning but very disgruntled that I had left him in a t-shirt when really he needed a cosy jumper!

Rubbish photo but the pheasants are back at the caravan site.

Definite signs of autumn colour now on the tree I am watching.

Tuesday afternoon after arriving we did the usual Morrisons click and collect in Leominster.,  We were lucky with the weather it was dry with some sunshine and it wasn't quite as cold as when D and I visited.

Wednesday B and E, having seen the photos D and I took of Wigmore Castle, decided they wanted to visit. Unfortunately we got fairly close to Wigmore but at Mortimer's Cross the main road was closed due to an accident. No diversion marked and all the sat nav wanted to do was keep sending us back to the closed main road. OS map was back at the caravan 😒and I recently threw away the old atlas kept in the car as it was falling to bits and have failed to replace it - bad move!!!  Trying to cut across country B spotted a sign saying Richard's Castle 4 miles which E hadn't visited so to cut a long story short we decided to go there instead.

Flowering ivy - great at this time of year for any late flying insects.

View from the tiny car park near the church and castle.

To reach the motte and bailey castle you pass the church of St Bartholomew which is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

The church was probably founded by Richard FitzScrob, who also built the first castle, or his son Osbern, for the use of the settlement that had begun to grow up around the castle.  The nave and chancel were built in the 12th century, the church enlarged in the 14th century and south porch added in the 15th century. In the early 14th century the south aisle and arcade were built plus the North Chapel and the detached tower (one of 7 detached church towers in Herefordshire).

The church was restored in the 19th century and 1935.

I didn't go inside the church this time but if you would like to see the interior please see St Bartholomews Richards Castle

I don't think I remember seeing this Millennium Map on our last visit.

Holly berries in the churchyard.

Richard's Castle, four miles south of Ludlow, is probably the oldest castle in England and comprises a motte with the ruins of an octagonal tower keep protected by a bailey which was surrounded in stone and contained D-shaped and rectangular towers - one of which was an early gatehouse.  Richard Fitzscrob built the castle around 1050 and sited the keep on the hillside. In 1086 the castle was held by his son Osbern. The castle came into the hands of the Mortimers from 1211 to 1304.

Remains of the gatehouse.

You can still see the defensive ditch.

Remains of the stone curtain wall which surrounded the keep. It was built in the 13th century to replace the original wooden pallisade.  The square holes you can see were probably post holes used to support the scaffolding when the wall was originally built.

Remains of the keep with B and E at the top. I didn't venture up as I feared I might never get down again. I am afraid my knees these days are kn*ckered!

More remains of the curtain wall.

On our last visit I assumed this was a well but looking at the map of the site above it appears it is the remains of a medieval garderobe.

Back in the churchyard.

Back at the caravan that evening, a nearly full moon rising over a nearby copse.

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera.