Caverswall Castle

In ancient times, the manor of Caverswall was held by the eponymous Caverswall family, who in 1275 were granted licence to crenellate their manor house. The resulting medieval moated castle was approximately rectangular in plan with four angle towers and a keep within the curtain walls.

In the 15th century the castle, which was owned by the Caverswall family, became the seat of the Montgomery family, three of whom served as High Sheriff of Staffordshire.A Survey of Staffordshire; Containing the Antiquities of that County Erdeswick and Harwood (1820) p187 Google Books It was much decayed and neglected by the end of the 16th century.

It was rebuilt in the 17th century after being purchased in 1615 by Matthew Cradock of Stafford, a local wool merchant, first mayor of Stafford in 1614 and Member of Parliament for Stafford in 1621.He was a cousin of Matthew Cradock (d. 1641), coloniser of Massachusetts. He built the present mansion house to a design, it is said, of Robert Smythson or John Smythson. The three storey house has five bays each with stone mullioned and transomed windows. There is a castellated parapet and an entrance porch

The old castle walls were retained and during the English Civil War it was garrisoned by parliamentary forces.History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire William White (1834) p730

When the Cradock male line failed the estate was sold in 1655 to William Joliffe (High Sheriff of Staffordshire for 1663) but the eventual heir William Vane, 2nd Viscount Vane,"Cavarswall Castle, the seat of the Right Honorable Lord Viscount Vane" (William Tunnicliffe, A Survey of the County of Stafford..., "From Uttoxeter to Drayton", in A Topographical Survey of the Counties of Stafford, Chester and Lancashire... 1786:13. was forced to sell it. Thereafter the castle had several owners. In 1811 it was occupied as a nunnery by a Benedictine order who sold it in 1853 to Sir Perceval Radcliffe, when they then relocated to Oulton Abbey. In the 1880s it was rented by the Wedgwood family.{{Cite web |url=https://englishlocalhistory.wordpress.com/staffordshire-people/cecil-wedgwood/ |title=Cecil Wedgwood (1863-1916) – 'One of England's Best' | englishlocalhistory |access-date=28 October 2015 |archive-date=11 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211160348/https://englishlocalhistory.wordpress.com/staffordshire-people/cecil-wedgwood/ |url-status=dead }} In 1891 it was purchased by W.E. Bowers who carried out extensive renovations and much improved the property. W.A. Bowers then sold it in 1933 to the Sisters of the Holy Ghost, who in turn sold it in 1965 to another convent, the Daughters of the House of Mary. When they left in 1977 the Castle was sold in various lots.{{cite web|url=http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/engine/resource/exhibition/standard/default.asp?resource=13134|title=Caverswall Castle|publisher=Staffordshire Pasttrack|access-date=14 March 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314055758/http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/engine/resource/exhibition/standard/default.asp?resource=13134|archive-date=14 March 2014}}

More recently the castle was bought in 2006 by property tycoon Robin MacDonald for £1.7 million who spent £1 million renovating it.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/10984423/Castle-owner-who-wrecked-weddings-of-78-couples-is-fined-for-holding-unlicenced-parties.html |title=Castle owner who wrecked weddings of 78 couples is fined for holding unlicenced parties |work=The Telegraph |access-date=27 July 2020}} Since the late 1970s, numerous planning applications for various commercial uses have been submitted, but they have all been refused.{{Cite web|url=http://publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=18404|title=Planning Applications - Staffordshire Moorlands District Council|website=publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk}}{{Cite web|url=http://publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=18402|title=Planning Applications - Staffordshire Moorlands District Council|website=publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk}}{{Cite web|url=http://publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=18403|title=Planning Applications - Staffordshire Moorlands District Council|website=publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk}}{{Cite web|url=http://publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=13459|title=Planning Applications - Staffordshire Moorlands District Council|website=publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk}}

The owner was prosecuted for allowing some holiday letting use in 2013 and fined £17,000 and ordered to pay £100,000 costs. The castle has several enforcement notices preventing various uses including "events, activity days, parties, photography & romantic breaks". The local authority have refused to remove the enforcement notices on several occasions.{{Cite web|url=https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2017/03/06/remove-enforcement-notice-caverswall-castle/|title=Remove Enforcement Notice At Caverswall Castle|date=6 March 2017|website=38 Degrees}} In February 2015 the property was offered for sale with Sotheby's for £3 million.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-2322-75pkn2/moated-castle-stoke-on-trent-en-st119ea |title=Caverswall Castle |access-date=14 October 2016 |work=Sotheby's }}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In 2017 the owner talked about the issues he had faced from locals and the planning department:{{Cite web|url=http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/property/robins-nightmare-i-bought-caverswall-931075|title=Robin's nightmare: "I bought a castle, but it wasn't a fairytale"|first=John|last=Woodhouse|date=16 December 2017|website=stokesentinel}}

In 2016, the Castle was put up for sale with Leading Estates for £5 million.{{Cite web|url=https://leadingestates.com/estates/caverswall-castle-staffordshire-england/|title=Caverswall Castle, Staffordshire, England | Leading Estates of the World}} The castle has been for sale since September 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-84576620.html|title=Check out this property for sale on Rightmove!|website=Rightmove.co.uk}} In October 2020, the planning department refused two applications for commercial uses. The first refuses use as a small scale hotel. The second refuses photography and groups, such as schools or historic interest groups from visiting. The enforcement notices were kept in place prohibiting the owner from having any visitors, activities and guests including having a party or an event in the Castle or grounds{{cite web|url=https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/businessman-who-splashed-out-17m-4627430 |title=Businessman who splashed out £1.7m on fairytale castle says he wouldn't pay £1 for it now after decade long planning row |work=Staffordshire Sentinel |date=22 October 2020 |access-date=27 October 2020}}

The castle was sold in April 2021 for an undisclosed amount.{{cite web|url= https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/fairytale-caverswall-castle-boasts-18-5301980 | title= Fairytale Caverswall Castle which boasts 18 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and a dungeon has finally sold | work=Staffordshire Sentinel | date= 17 April 2021 | access-date=21 April 2021}}

• Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
• List of castles in England
• Grade I listed buildings in Staffordshire
• Listed buildings in Caverswall

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• [http://www.caverswallcastle.com/ Caverswall Castle]

Category:Castles in Staffordshire

Category:Grade I listed buildings in Staffordshire

Category:Grade I listed castles