Rising from a high spur of land overlooking an ancient crossing point of the river Wye, Goodrich Castle towers over the surrounding countryside. A castle has stood here since the 11th century, but most of what we see today was the work of William de Valence, Henry III?s half-brother, in the late 13th century. His castle survived little altered until 1646, when a two-month siege put its medieval defences to the test.
Delve into the history of Goodrich Castle, discover what life was like in the medieval castle and find out what happened during the Civil War siege.
Goodrich Castle was a thriving medieval household, where sometimes hundreds of people were living at any one time. Find out about some of the household members and their life at the castle.
In 1646 Goodrich Castle was the scene of one of the most hard-fought sieges of the English Civil War, which Parliament finally won with the aid of a huge mortar, known as Roaring Meg.