Weoley Castle is the remains of a fortified manor house located in the

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

district of Weoley Castle, a primarily residential area, in the English West Midlands. Owned by

Birmingham City Council Birmingham City Council is the local authority for the city of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. Birmingham has had an elected local authority since 1838, which has been reformed several times. Since 1974 the council has been a metropo ...

and administered as a community museum by Birmingham Museums Trust, it is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and a

Scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. The castle was on

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

Heritage at Risk Register An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for acti ...

, but was removed in 2009 following repair work.

History

The archaeological evidence suggests a Norman foundation for the site which was surrounded by a moat and bank topped by a timber palisade. Roger de Somery obtained a licence in 1264 to crenellate Weoley Castle and a 1422 survey gives a plan of the building. Early 13th century wooden buildings have been discovered at the site, probably dating to around 1264, indicating an early use of both horizontal and vertical weatherboarding. By the 17th century, Weoley Castle was noted as a '' (ruined castle) and it was no longer in use by then. Also around the same time a farmhouse was built where the education room is now. The brick wall along the right hand arm of the moat and a few apple trees are all that now remain of the farm. During the 18th century the Dudley Canal was dug along the northern boundary and the spoil was dumped in the moat. Stone from the ruin was used in the construction of canal bridges. At some point in the 19th century, the ruins were owned by Joseph Ledsam, a local businessman and deputy chairman of the

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world. Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...

References

External links

Weoley Castle Ruins
Official website

– Educational teaching sessions and resources at Weoley Castle

– fun and games for children based on Weoley Castle {{Birmingham buildings Structures formerly on the Heritage at Risk register Houses in the West Midlands (county) Grade II listed buildings in Birmingham Archaeological sites in the West Midlands (county) Tourist attractions in the West Midlands (county) Ruins in the West Midlands (county) Castles in the West Midlands (county) Grade II listed houses Scheduled monuments in the West Midlands (county) Birmingham Museums Trust