From The Express & Star, 4th May 2007

Builders move in at castle

Stafford Castle is undergoing a major £100,000 renovation project. Work to create a new visitors entrance and to restore the west wing has just started at the popular tourist attraction. It is anticipated that the new entrance will be completed in time to coincide with the first Stafford Festival Shakespeare performance of Much Ado About Nothing on June 28th.

Workers will be on site for the next couple of months restoring the main wall to the west of the castle, which faces the M6 motorway. The west wing is currently part wall and part railing but once restored will be a complete six metre high construction as it was originally.

Stafford Borough Council (SBC) is funding the refurbishment which is being carried out with the backing of English Heritage. Specialist stone masons are carrying out the works using Hollington Stone from a quarry in Uttoxeter. SBC spokesman Will Conaghan said the main contractors are Stafford firm Sandy & Co which has carried out a number of historical renovation projects in the town including the Ancient High House in the 1980s.

Mr. Conaghan said the castle is one of the largest in the UK and sits on one of the last preserved Norman earth works in the country. He said: “The work at the castle is part of an ongoing repair project which has the backing of English Heritage to improve one of the premier tourist attractions in the county.”

From the Express & Star, 13th June 2007

Castle gets a major revamp

Stafford Castle is undergoing a major renovation – with work set to continue through the summer. Specialist stone masons are hard at work on the landmark building on Castle Hill off the A518 Castle Bank. New stone steps are being put in place and a new visitors’ entrance is being constructed at the front of the keep with the entire west wing also in the process of being reconstructed.

Stafford Borough Council is paying for the refurbishment which is being carried out with the backing of English Heritage. The masons from Stafford-based Sandy & Co are using Hollington Stone from a quarry in Uttoxeter to carry out the repairs as it is believed to be the original material used.

The Normans built the first castle – a timber fortress – in 1100. It was extended over the years and a massive stone keep was built on top of the motte in 1347 and in 1444, Humphrey Stafford was created Duke of Buckinghamshire and the castle reached its heyday. During the 17th Century the castle was abandoned and demolished.

It was eventually rebuilt on the original earthworks in Gothic Revival Style in 1813, but it gradually fell into ruin. In recent years the council has carried out extensive archaeological work on the site and a host of important material was unearthed.

The impressive castle will form the backdrop for this summer’s Shakespeare production of Much Ado About Nothing. It is intended that the new entrance will be completed in time for the start of the open-air production on June 28.

Former Coronation Street soap actors Stephen Beckett and Sally Lindsay will star in the play along with My Family actress Siobhan Hayes. Nightly performances will continue until July 14. Tickets can be booked at the box office on 01785 254653 or at www.staffordfestival shakespeare.co.uk

Stafford Castle is open from Tuesdays to Sundays from April to October, and Bank Holiday Mondays, from 10am to 5pm. From November to March it is open Saturday and Sunday only, from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free with the exception of some events. For further information contact 01785 257698.

From the Express & Star, 30th October 2007

Castle Hit by Vandals

Part of Stafford Castle has had to be closed to the public after vandals using grappling hooks damaged stonework at the historic site. A section of the keep has been roped off amid fears that the wrecked stone has made one of the walls unsafe.

Police are now investigating the damage, which is believed may have been caused by youngsters using grappling hooks to climb the walls of the landmark ancient monument. Stafford Borough Council, which owns the site, is now waiting to hear from English Heritage to get the go-ahead to repair the stonework.

Council spokesman Will Conaghan said the castle’s annual Halloween Heebie-Jeebie event would still go ahead tonight and tomorrow. But he said the damaged section of the keep would remain out of bounds, due to health and safety concerns.

The vandalism comes hot on the heels of a major renovation project on the 900-year-old ruin, in Newport Road, over the summer. A total of £100,000 was spent on the scheme, which involved extensive repair and renovation by specialist stonemasons.

Councillor Mike Smith, cabinet member for leisure, said today he was disappointed by news of the vandalism.

He said: “Vandalism is a continual problem. There is an objectionable minority who seem hell bent on damaging things. Halloween is such an important time of the year at Stafford Castle and I am very disappointed it has been targeted in this way. We do our best to protect these important pieces of our heritage but, if people are determined, they will unfortunately find a way in. They are spoiling it for the majority of people. These people must have gone in armed with tools for the job because they removed some large facing stones which could not have been manhandled out of place. We have been concerned about some of the other stones falling, so we are getting some specialist stonemasons in to look at it.”

Stafford Castle started life as a huge timber fortress, built by the Normans on a prominent vantage point by 1100. But by the early 17th century, the castle’s fortunes waned and it was eventually abandoned and demolished. It was extensively rebuilt in 1813 but gradually fell into ruin.