Restoration work on 11th Century Herefordshire castle to begin

After years of preparation, work to repair 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 – will start next week.

The repairs to the castle will be funded by Historic England through a Repair Grant of £474,000.

Scheduled monument Snodhill Castle has been on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register since 1998. 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.

Last summer, after years of negotiation, ownership of the castle was finally transferred to the newly established Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust (SCPT).  Volunteers from the SCPT, with help from Historic England, carried out vegetation clearance so the castle is accessible and repairs can begin. Thanks to this work, it is once again possible to see the full extent of the bailey, and appreciate the drama of the motte and gatehouse.

Back in 2014, Historic England began survey work at the site of the castle, identifying and designing the necessary urgent repairs. In the spring of 2016 Historic England finished emergency propping of the most dangerous parts of the castle walls, and then worked with the SCPT in finalising the urgent repairs that would be funded by a Repair Grant. 

The £474,000 from Historic England will pay for urgent stabilisation and consolidation of the remains of the keep, gatehouse, flanking walls on the castle motte, north tower of the castle bailey and south bastion in the bailey wall. SCPT has employed Sally Strachey Historic Conservation and Alastair Coey Architects, Historic Building Specialists to undertake the work which is due to be completed in October 2017.

The repair of the castle remains will uncover some parts of its structure that have not been seen for generations and Hereford Archaeology will be on-hand to record these discoveries as they are made. Historic England's Investigation Team is carrying out research into the history and construction of the castle and the SCPT hope to use this, and any archaeological discoveries made during the repairs, to inform future archaeological investigation of the castle. 

Veryan Heal, Director of Planning for Historic England in the West Midlands said: "It has been a joy and a privilege for the team at Historic England to be involved in saving Snodhill Castle for the nation. Without the dedication of colleagues and the members of the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust, this wonderful piece of our heritage would have been lost for ever. Snodhill Castle continues to be a top priority for Historic England."

Dr Sarah Lewis, Inspector of Historic Buildings and Areas, Historic England said: "Having been involved with this project for more than six years, I am thrilled that this vital conservation work is finally underway at Snodhill. It is fantastic to see the Castle in the hands of the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust. Historic England's funding will make the site safe for visitors once more and give the Trust the start they need in order to look after the castle for future generations."

Garry Crook, Chair of the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust said: "It has been a very long fight over many decades to achieve a long term future for this very unusual and little understood castle. There have been numerous setbacks but now finally the castle has a secure and exciting future ahead of it; repair and consolidation, exploration, investigation and eventually understanding of its many unique features and with the local community actively and passionately involved all the way".