Photo source: MortimerCat, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Acton Burnell Castle is a fortified manor house built in the 13th century near the village of Acton Burnell in Shropshire.
Only the outer shell of the building and the gable ends of a large barn survive today.
It is best known as the likely site of the 1283 Parliament, the first in England at which the Commons sat alongside the Lords and clergy.
English Heritage cares for the ruins, and entry is free to walk around the site.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
The house was traditionally built for Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and Wells and Lord Chancellor to Edward I, who obtained a licence to crenellate in 1284. Its most significant moment came a year earlier, in 1283, when Edward I is believed to have held a Parliament here that included full representation of the Commons for the first time. The building fell out of use over the following centuries, leaving only the roofless outer walls and the stone gable ends of an adjoining barn.
Architecture
What remains is a rectangular sandstone shell with corner turrets, built more as a grand fortified residence than a true defensive castle. The scale of the ruined barn nearby suggests the household it once supported was substantial.
Worth knowing
Acton Burnell is linked to one of the earliest moments in the development of the English Parliament, when the Commons are thought to have sat alongside the Lords and clergy here in 1283.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Church Stretton Rail Station (7.1 miles)
Open access site, generally accessible during reasonable daylight hours; check with English Heritage or local visitor information for specific access details.
Nearby properties
Langley Chapel
View Langley Chapel on heritage mapPitchford Hall
View Pitchford Hall on heritage mapCantlop Bridge
View Cantlop Bridge on heritage mapViroconium Cornoviorum
View Viroconium Cornoviorum on heritage mapSt Andrew's Church, Wroxeter
View St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Acton Burnell Castle there are 6 historic properties, including 1 historic building, 1 chapel and 1 church, across English Heritage, Churches Conservation Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Within 10 miles of Acton Burnell Castle there are 25 historic properties, including 10 historic buildings, 6 historic houses and 5 churchs, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and National Trust sites.
Within 20 miles of Acton Burnell Castle there are 51 historic properties, including 16 historic buildings, 14 historic houses and 10 churchs, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Facts
The ruined manor where the Commons may first have sat as part of an English Parliament, in 1283.
- Type
- castle
- Location
- Shropshire, England
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