35 Amazing Dudley Castle Facts To Know Before Your Next Visit

Aashita Dhingra
Oct 12, 2023 By Aashita Dhingra
Originally Published on Mar 24, 2022
Dudley Castle facts will help you to plan your next visit wisely.

Dudley Castle has been demolished and reconstructed several times throughout its history.

Dudley Castle was built towards the end of the 11th century, not long after the Norman Conquest. The Norman Conquest was one of the most remarkable events in English history.

The present state of Dudley Castle was not the initial one. At first, this castle was built as a wooden motte and bailey castle.

The castle is almost 492 years old and has withstood many gruesome wars that caused the initial destruction. The castle was almost entirely demolished by King Henry II during the civil war in the 12th century.

The architecture of the castle is inspired by medieval European culture. You will find the conglomeration of many different types of culture inside the building.

Today the castle is in ruins, but you can find the beautiful Dudley Zoo on the premises. You might not find the entire castle in all its glory today, but the shell of the Dudley Castle is enough to run a chill down your spine.

Read on to learn more about the history of this fascinating ancient castle!

Location Of Dudley Castle

Dudley Castle is located in the town of Dudley in the West Midlands of England. You can drive to the castle or take a public bus.

Dudley bus station is just two minutes away from the castle. More information about the West Midlands and the location of the castle is given below, along with other interesting facts about the location.

This castle can be found in the center of Dudley at a distance of 131 mi (210 km) from London. The city of Birmingham in the West Midlands is not very far away either, at only 10.2 mi (16.4km).

The West Midlands are the second most populated area of England, after the Greater London area.

The castle is located on a hilltop overlooking the entire town. This particular hilltop was is a piece of gigantic limestone outcrop, that was extensively quarried during the industrial revolution.

After taking a closer look at the history of the location, you can find strange things about it. One such thing is that the same town that is known as Dudley Town today was previously known as the 'capital of the black country'.

The name was given due to the continuous smog formed during the Industrial Revolution that choked up the skies and put a black blanket over the area.

History Of Dudley Castle

Dudley Castle is an incredibly old castle, with tales about it that date back to the time no official historical records exist. Many of these tales suggest that the castle was originally built 500 years before what history officially claims, but due to the lack of evidence, this cannot be reliably proven.

Legends say that Dudley Castle itself is an example of how history has shaped the people and society of the region.

The original castle built on the site known as Castle Hill is believed to have been first constructed by Ansculf de Picquigny in 1070. Ansculf de Picquigny was a follower of Norman, the conqueror.

At the time of construction, the castle was built in the style of a motte and bailey castle.

Some historians, such as William Camden, are of the opinion that the castle was built by a duke named Dodo in the year 700, but there is no hard evidence to support this statement.

During a national survey conducted after the civil war, Dudley Castle belonged to William Fitz Ansculf, who was the son of Ansculf de Picquigny.

After this, the castle was in possession of the Paganel family. The Paganel family inherited the property in 1150.

During the Paganel family ownership of the castle, the first stone castle was built on the site.

The castle was quite well built as it remained in one piece even after the siege of King Stephen that took place a few years after the reconstruction in 1138.

Since the siege was not enough to destroy this castle, King Stephen made an effort to destroy other nearby castles. One such castle that was destroyed during the time is Shrewsbury Castle.

As a result of the disturbing political climate, Gervase Paganel went against Henry II, and later a part of the castle was demolished under the orders of the king in 1173.

Dudley Castle was then taken by the de Somery family. The Somery's took the responsibility of renovating the castle. During this time, a few new additions were also made. For instance, a chapel was added along with the great hall.

Unfortunately, in the year 1195, John de Somery passed away and the castle was inherited by his sister, who was married in the Sutton family. The heirs of this family planned on expanding the castle by adding the main gatehouse, today known as 'The Triple Gate'.

The castle acquired its name from the event that took place in 1532. The last heir, John de Sutton, exhausted all his resources. So he ended up having no other option than to give it up to Sir John Dudley, a rich distant relative. Sir John Dudley was the first Duke of Northumberland.

Lady Jane Grey was the Granddaughter of Henry VII and grand-niece of Henry VIII, who was married to Lord Guildford Dudley, son of Sir John.

John Dudley was the same man who conspired against his daughter-in-law to usurp power.

John Dudley hatched a plot to put his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Grey on the throne. When he realized that Edward VI would not be able to last for a long period of time, he sided with Jane's family and wanted to put her on the throne instead of the natural heir, Mary Tudor, after the death of Edward VI.

After many conspiracies, John Dudley was able to put Lady Jane Grey on to the throne. The reign lasted for only nine days, so the Grey Lady is also known as the 'nine-day Queen.'

During her reign, Dudley's fellow mates left his side and gave him up on the Queen, and Dudley was eventually executed.

After 1553, the castle was returned back to the previous owner by Queen Mary. Queen Mary was the first Queen Regent (queen in her own right, rather than a queen through marriage). When Queen Mary died in 1558, her half-sister Queen Elizabeth came to the thrown.

Queen Elizabeth visited the castle as she was touring her kingdom to look for possible expansion. Queen Elizabeth's visit marks the start of decline in the importance of Castle Dudley, as the residents preferred to live in a familiar environment near Himley Hall, approximately 5 mi (8km) away.

During another civil war, a couple of sieges were attempted on Dudley Castle. The first one took place in 1644, after which the Royalists were able to put their foot in for the next two years when both parties claimed victory during the war.

The second siege was commanded by Sir William Brereton against the Royalists, and on May 13, 1646, Dudley Castle was finally surrendered.

The Architecture Of Dudley Castle

The inner and outer appearance of the castle has changed several times throughout the cause of history, either because of destruction or due to new additions and renovations that have been made. The very first look of the main building and the look that we see today are almost as different as day and night.

Discussed below are some interesting facts about the architecture of Dudley Castle.

When the castle was first built on Castle Hill, it was a simple-looking structure. It was mostly constructed of soil and wood, with some areas of carved and ornate woodwork.

The more modern architecture of Dudley Castle was influenced by the Italian Renaissance.

Today what we see on the grounds of Castle Hill is the site of Dudley Zoo. Dudley Zoo was opened in the year 1937 by the Earl of Dudley.

There is a secret tunnel inside Dudley Castle that runs through Castle Hill.

The residential buildings of Dudley Castle were so large that they could accommodate more than 200 people in them. Unfortunately, many of these residential buildings were destroyed by a fire in 1750.

There were two drum towers on both sides of the castle. Drum towers are round towers with a larger diameter than height, so they resemble the instrument of a drum, hence the name!

After the 14th century, the castle went through multiple changes under multiple rulers. As a result, the castle had elements of many cultures and religions. So we can say that the castle is an example of secular architecture.

This secular architecture is evident in some of the domestic buildings. These domestic buildings were built after the second siege.

The motte is considered the oldest structure of the castle.

In the 19th century, the castle was a playing ground for children and couples. The place was booming with artists from all corners of the country as the museum of the castle was full of beautiful gallery artworks.

Battles And War Fought At Dudley Castle

As we have learnt through this article, Dudley Castle has been through many owners and changes and subject to many gruesome battles in the past.

The Battle of Tipton Green was the first-ever civil war fought in England. The civil war broke out between the Puritans and Royalists when they came to conquer the Earl of Denbigh's siege of the castle.

The Tipton Green battle was fought at a distance of 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from Dudley Castle.

Dudley Castle served as a lookout post during World War II.

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Written by Aashita Dhingra

Bachelors in Business Administration

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Aashita DhingraBachelors in Business Administration

Based in Lucknow, India, Aashita is a skilled content creator with experience crafting study guides for high school-aged kids. Her education includes a degree in Business Administration from St. Mary's Convent Inter College, which she leverages to bring a unique perspective to her work. Aashita's passion for writing and education is evident in her ability to craft engaging content.

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