282:, the town walls were extended, upgraded and repaired, watch towers were added and new gates with towers were also installed (the North Gate was given a drawbridge). The walls, which were 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) thick, were constructed from sandstone; a plinth was built into the base of its outer face and there was an external ditch. By 1242, further work had added an outer earthen bank that was 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high and 9 m (30 ft) wide.
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the coachmen of John
Humphreys, who lived opposite the tower in Swan Hill Court. His daughter Rachel Humphreys donated the tower to the National Trust in 1930. Between 1930 and 1937 her gardener and his wife lived in the tower. From 1937 to 1954 it was occupied by Mrs. Janet Mitchell. From 1954 to 1967 it was occupied by Mrs. B Curtis. From 1968 to 2012 it was leased by Mr and Mrs Hector. It is now leased by
301:. By the 15th century, wooden houses were being built behind and on the wall by townspeople. Some sections behind Pride Hill and Castle Street were demolished. The stone was reused in town house foundations. By 1580, the tower had become known as Waring's Tower after the Waring family who leased it from the town corporation. It was later called Wingfield's Tower after another occupant.
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Throughout the late 18th century the remaining parts of
Shrewsbury town walls were demolished and the gateways removed. The Town Walls Tower survived because it remained in use. In 1816 the tower was the workshop of a watch maker named John Massey. In the 1860s, it was converted into a dwelling for
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had strengthened the town earthworks with a wide ditch and rampart that was topped with a wooden stockade. Most of the early defences were adjacent to the river because its size, depth and limited crossing points provided a substantial defence to direct attack.
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During this period the Town Walls Tower would have been used by the town garrison to watch the surrounding area for Welsh incursions and raids. However, after the
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Shrewsbury town walls were completed in stone in the 13th century replacing earlier ramparts. Work to fortify the settlement had started immediately after the
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overran the Anglo-Saxon earthworks and ramparts, sacking and burning
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at the north end of the settlement but did not alter the settlement's outer defences.
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English. In 1215
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Listed buildings in
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348:A Short History of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England
16:Medieval watchtower in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK
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450:National Trust website on Town Walls Tower
422:"Shrewsbury, Shropshire: Town Walls Tower"
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398:"Attingham Park Estate: Town Walls Tower"
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470:Buildings and structures in Shrewsbury
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350:. A World History Encyclopaedia.
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344:"Saxon and Medieval Shrewsbury"
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377:shrewsburylocalhistory.org.uk
27:Part of Shrewsbury Town Walls
255:In 1070 the Normans started
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426:www.nationaltrust.org.uk
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307:Shrewsbury High School
130:Shrewsbury High School
309:and conserved by the
106:9 m (30 ft)
268:Llywelyn ap Iorwerth
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126:Controlled by
79:52.7053°N 2.7559°W
257:Shrewsbury Castle
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373:"Town Walls"
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225:River Severn
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154:Site history
136:Open to
167:In use
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58:Coordinates
459:Categories
407:2022-12-31
329:References
217:Shropshire
213:Shrewsbury
209:town walls
189:Welsh Wars
67:52°42′19″N
38:Shropshire
34:Shrewsbury
272:Henry III
179:Sandstone
175:Materials
149:Preserved
146:Condition
70:2°45′21″W
431:22 April
382:22 April
352:Archived
317:See also
299:Henry IV
291:Edward I
276:aldermen
205:medieval
40:in
235:History
221:England
42:England
280:murage
241:Angles
185:Events
103:Height
159:Built
116:Owner
433:2024
384:2024
95:Type
289:by
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
