Castle Keep

The earliest mention of Bridgnorth in historical records was in 895 when the Danes set up a camp at ‘Cwatbridge’, and in 910 a bridge at ‘Cwatbridge’ was mentioned in the records of the Danish Wars. This place was probably at Quatford a few miles down river but may have been at Bridgnorth. The findings of fragments of stone in St Leonard’s Close prove the link with the Danes. In 912 Ethelfleda, the lady of Mercia and King Alfred’s daughter, built a castle at ‘Bridge’, but by 1086 this castle seems to have deteriorated since it is not mentioned in William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book.

The same year, Roger de Montgomery had a small borough at Quatford in which he founded a church dedicated to St Mary Magdelene. Robert de Belleme, son of Roger, succeeded as Earl in 1098 and in 1101 he transferred both church and borough to a more defendable site at Bridgnorth. It is said that Robert repaired the remains of Ethelfleda’s stronghold, but the site of her stronghold is uncertain and may have been on Pampudding Hill. In 1102 Henry I besieged the castle for three months and took it from Robert de Belleme. The town then began to extend into the High Street and became a ‘Royal Peculiar’. This meant the chapel was not subject to any bishop, and the king became the Patron.

The second siege of the castle was in 1155 when Henry II is believed to have escaped death only through the self sacrifice of a knight named Sir Hugh de St Clare, who threw himself in front of an arrow aimed at the King.

In 1157, Bridgnorth received its first charter and since then many kings and famous people have visited the town.

Castle Grounds

Bridgnorth Town Wall was built in the latter part of the reign of Henry III. In the early part of his reign a stockade composed mainly of dead timber was present but by 1260 this stockade had been almost completely replaced by a strong stone wall.

In 1281, the castle was alleged to be in a sad disrepair and Edward I deprived it of some of its military importance. In 1295, Bridgnorth began to send its own members to Parliament and in this year Edward I again visited Bridgnorth.

In 1321, Edward II easily took the Castle from the Barons who had burnt part of the High Town and seized it. In 1540, Leland, the Royal Antiquarian, visited Bridgnorth and said, “The walls were of great height but the ‘Mighty Gate’ was now stopped up, and a little postern made by force thereby, through the wall, to enter the Castle.”

In 1646 Bridgnorth was held for the King during the Civil War, but on 31st March, Parliamentary forces broke through the palisade and entered St Leonard’s Close. Some of the guards were killed, and Colonel Billingsley, the Royalists’ leader, was mortally wounded and died. The Royalists retreated back inside the Castle, setting fire to some stables in Listley Street. St Leonard’s Church was also set alight by incendiary torches fired from the north east tower of the Castle. This caused the ammunition within the Church to explode and scatter burning timber all over the High Town. Most of the old records were housed within the church and were burnt in the fire. The fire subsequently destroyed most of the High Town although a few half timbered buildings from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries survive to this day. On 26 April 1646 the Castle surrendered but during the next year was practically destroyed. Unfortunately no plans or drawings exist of the Castle before its demolition but remnants exist behind the Post Office and in Pound Street and part of the keep stands in the Castle Grounds. The Castle Grounds were sold by Captain Whitmore to Mr W.O. Foster in 1876 who gave them to the town in 1897.

For many centuries, Bridgnorth was an extremely busy river port. Merchandise was carried down river in trows or barges and towed up the river by four to eight men harnessed to the towing rope by a loop across their chests. In later years horses were used and iron rubbing pieces can still be seen on riverside walls to prevent chaffing. Bridgnorth’s early trades included malting, tanning, weaving, nailers, drapers and iron founders.

Bridgnorth has always had many ale houses, largely due to the river traffic, the earliest record being 1203. The town also had at least two breweries as well as most houses’ home brew. During recent years many notable buildings have sadly been demolished – Cann Hall, Bridgen Hall, The Croft and, at great loss to the High Town, The Fosters Institute.

Between 1804 and 1815 steam locomotives were built at Hazeldine’s foundry in Low Town. One famous one called Catch Me Who Can was built in 1808 and was the first steam locomotive to draw fare paying passengers, at one shilling a ride.

Quayside

The river trade began to decline with the opening of the railway in 1862, and in 1895 the last barge came down the river, the last trow being built in 1868. In 1891 the Cliff Railway was opened and is now the only inland inclined railway in England, operating a service throughout the day. In 1910 the Northgate was restored and largely rebuilt, being encased in sandstone with a third arch added.

In 1976 St Leonard’s Church was declared redundant due to the scale of outstanding repairs required. Before closure the Chancel had to be shored up, the Stackhouse Library was suffering from damp and the upper parts of the Tower had become extremely dangerous. Since that time the Redundant Churches Fund has repaired the Chancel Wall, the Stackhouse Library and the Tower. More recently the roof has been renewed and the building is regularly used for music festivals, concerts and exhibitions.

During 1977 the Town Hall was restored on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee.

In 1978 St Mary’s and St Leonard’s Churches joined together with St Mary’s becoming the new Benefice of the two churches, and in the same year Bridgnorth twinned with Thiers, a town in France with much the same character and charm as Bridgnorth.

Riverbridge

In 1992 Bridgnorth expanded its twinning links with ceremonies held both in Schrobenhausen in Bavaria and in Bridgnorth High Street to formally seal the new friendship. Thiers, Schrobenhausen and Bridgnorth are now formally twinned with each other and the three towns come together in rotation on an annual basis to enjoy an annual festival.

Bridgnorth continues to thrive as a market town. On Fridays a small market operates from beneath the Town Hall with market stalls operating along the entire length of the High Street on Saturdays.